New Beginning
by HotShot14
Summary: No one would ever claim a ninja could not adapt. Naruto/Sigma6 Xover. Now complete! Debating remake into a more original form.
1. Awakening

Ch.1 The Awakening

_Shinzui-san! Shinzui-san! _I was bleeding…yea, sounds cheesy right? But here I was, lying on my back, my vision going funny and feeling my warm blood drip out of my wounds. That damn bastard had gotten lucky, hitting me in several vital areas. I could see the faces of my comrades bending over me, their mouths moving, but I didn't hear the words coming out.

_Is she going to be ok?_

…_I…I don't know, she's hit in four vital areas…there's nothing I can do._

_What?! No…Shinzui-san!_

My vision was getting darker now…so dark…I finally gave in to the evitable oblivion, free of pain…free…

**Third Person POV**

Private O'Brien was bored, very bored. He had been on patrol with Private Ryan for the past hour and nothing interesting had happened. He stifled a yawn as the two of them trudged up the path to head back to base. "Man…it's too quiet, I wish SOMETHING would happen."

Private Ryan looked at him. "Be careful what you wish for, hate to jinx ourselves." He was always the sensible one.

O'Brien scowled at him and opened his mouth to shoot something back…until something caught his eye. He turned more fully to witness a very strange sight, lying up ahead was a prone and huddled figure. "Hey! Up ahead!" As the two sprinted up toward them, they had to stop and gawk.

The figure was most likely female, judging from the long, raven black hair that had once been tied up in a neat ponytail, but now sprawled around her head like the sick parody of a halo. She was dressed in a semi-tight body suit of navy blue and what appeared to be a green flak jacket. What was disturbing though was the blood that was rapidly starting to form a pool around her.

"Oh shit! Ryan, call base now and get a medic down here!" His comrade did just that, barking into one of the handheld radios. "Hey…miss? Can you hear me? Don't quit on us you hear?!" O'Brien wiped a hand over his face; this patrol just took an unexpected turn.

**Shinzui's POV**

I hurt…all over…is this what death was supposed to feel like? If it did…it sucked. I then decided to stop moaning and see where the hell I was. Ok…hmmm, I was laying on something…metal…a gurney? Wait…A GURNEY?! I was now mentally screaming at my eyelids to freaking open already, but they were resisting. Oh wait…I was still bleeding…did that mean I didn't die?

_Patient is a woman in her late 20s to early 30s, multiple stab wounds, definitely in critical condition._

_She's damn lucky to even be breathing, one of those stabs looks like it nicked her lungs._

…people talking…wait, are they talking about me?

_Get her to ICU stat and prep a room for immediate surgery!_

_Yes doctor!_

_Doctor, her brain waves are showing activity, I think she's conscious!_

_Miss? Miss? Can you hear me? Please squeeze my hand if you can._

Of course I could hear you baka! Oh wait, my eyes are closed…fine, stupid hand…SQUEEZE! After a moment, I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt my hand squeeze the doc's.

_She's responsive! Good sign, ok. Miss, you're in good hands now, hang in there!_

Trust me doc, I have no intention of kicking the bucket yet. Then, darkness overcame me again.

**Doctor Louis POV**

I had to admit, this was the strangest subject I have ever had to tend over. We had managed to get her out of surgery and she was now resting in ICU. To have survived the wounds that she had…very rarely in my medical experience have I ever seen a person in that state actually still be breathing. Not only that, but the equipment she had…

We had to strip everything off of her to operate and to say the very least, that was not an easy task. She had various pouches with rather dangerous looking weapons, knives, smoke bombs, and etc. Oh yes, and the nasty looking blade that had been strapped to her back. This was a person that was no stranger to a fight, which might explain her wounds. I scratched me head, this was beyond my jurisdiction, I had already sent a report to the higher ups about our find and hopefully, they would find an answer to this puzzle.

**Shinzui's POV**

Great, I hurt all over again. I normally wasn't this sarcastic or cynical, but anyone in my current condition would understand. My eyes also seemed to be stubborn again, but I wasn't going to let them get away with that!

After some terse moments, to my great ecstasy, my eyelids began to respond and they finally opened. Now I wish they hadn't when a blinding flash of light violated my eyeballs. Luckily, a few blinks took care of that, but now my eyes stung along with the rest of me. When my eyes finally adjusted themselves, I decided to try to get a bearing on my surroundings.

Well, from what I could tell, I was in some kind of hospital room, though that should have been obvious when that doctor had been talking to me. I had one of those oxygen things up the nose and my chest felt like somebody decided to wrap an extra tight corset on. I slowly sat up; my room was dimly lit, though my eyes probably were still holding a grudge against that light. The shades on the windows had been drawn and the quiet beep of the monitoring machine next to me was the only noise I could register at first. Then I could the quiet drone of conversation outside, yup, definitely a hospital.

I gently brush my black hair out of my face as I turned my attention to myself. I was wearing one of those, shudder, awful hospital gowns. A peek inside showed me that my chest was tightly bound in bandages. Well, that did explain the tightness. The stinging in my arm was probably from that IV needle stuck in it and the rest from general soreness. I sighed, I hated hospitals

"Well, I see that the patient is finally awake."

First, I mentally noted that I was going to hit myself for letting my guard down. Second, get my heartbeat back to normal. My head looked up to see a middle aged man with graying brown hair, holding a clipboard, and dressed as a medical doctor.

"We've been quite worried, some were afraid you wouldn't wake up."

I work some moisture back into my mouth; I neglected to say it felt like I ate cotton didn't I? "What can I say; I'm not that easy to keep down." I gave the doc a weak smile.

He nodded before walking up to my bed and looking at a chart I was guessing was hanging at the foot of the bed. "Looks like you will make a nice recovery; you were in pretty bad shape when you were brought in."

I blinked; I had just noticed that we were speaking English, not Japanese. Good thing I actually decided to study other languages, but where the heck was I? "Ummm…excuse me…er…"

"Louis, Dr R.J. Louis." He gave me a friendly smile.

"Right, Louis-san." At the honorific title, he gave me a confused look. "Not to be rude or anything…but where am I?"

He suddenly looked uncomfortable, that wasn't a good sign. "I'm…I'm afraid I cannot divulge that information."

Ok…definitely not a good thing. But…panicking wasn't going to due me any good, my chakra levels were still low, which meant I couldn't do anything about the situation if I wanted to. "…can I at least ask if this is Japan?"

Louis looked confused at the question. "Well, I can safely answer that I guess. No, you're not in Japan."

…uh oh. So I wasn't in Japan anymore…hmmm. I decided instead to study the doc's accent. Judging from his tone, English was his first language…but the accent…I couldn't quite place it.

"Ahem." The sound of the guy clearing his throat forced my attention back to him. "Now that I've introduced myself, perhaps I could ask for yours?"

Hmmm, well, I didn't sense any hostile intentions from him…but, one could never be too sure. I'd better just use my alias.

"My…my name for now is Renja." The doc didn't look surprised; he probably knew I was suspicious of him.

"Alright Renja, just rest up a bit. I'm afraid that there are some people who wish to speak to you once you're up to an acceptable level of health.

I had to smother a grin at that, obviously, he didn't know how fast we shinobi healed compared to normal people. "Don't worry doc, I'll be up and about before you know it. Give me…" I paused and looked at myself. Let's see, four stab wounds to the chest and the good stitching they had done…"about 5 days, and I'll see these people of yours."

The doc looked a little confused, but merely gave me a nod and walked out. As the door clicked shut, I laid back on the pillow. For now, I'd better more sleep, no use mulling over something I can't change. I shut my eyes and hoped this was just a crazy dream and I would wake up from it.

* * *

Hmmm, an interesting choice for a fic? Well, I don't care if you review or not, just enjoy...BUT NO FLAMES! Constructive criticism is welcome.


	2. The Offer

Ch.2

**Shinzui's POV**

Hmmm, I think I'm almost healed. I could tell from the fact my chest wasn't troubling me anymore. The doctors had all been baffled at my apparent accelerated healing. The kept badgering me on how I did it, obviously, I couldn't since they wouldn't understand. From where I come from, if you got hurt, you had to heal fast to get back into the action. That was what the shinobi lifestyle was like, we didn't have time to simply sit in some hospital bed and twiddle our thumbs.

Anyways, seems that five days had pasted since I said that statement to the doc, so that meant I was going to see these "higher" ups of his. They had taken all of my equipment, so they gave me a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I had just finished dressing myself and was now looking apprehensively at the floor. I gingerly maneuvered my leg until it touched the floor…EEK! Dang the floor was cold! Luckily, they had put a pair of sandals nearby, so I quickly slid my foot into one and did the same with my other foot. I could feel my legs wobble from the lack of use, but I quickly adjusted.

"Renja?" I had already sensed the doc come in so I merely looked up. "The transport's outside."

"Uh yea, I'll be there in a minute." I flexed my hands, feeling the tendons pop, I hated sitting around doing nothing. Well, no use moping around lets see where my day goes.

**General Hawk's POV**

I had to admit, this was very puzzling. The file that hospital had sent me was definitely genuine, but the facts it gave were questionable. The subject had accelerated healing, recovering from injuries that would leave most people stuck in a coma for a good long time. Here, she had recovered in a little over half the time. Not only that, but the weapons and such they had sent in were also strange. Several scrolls that couldn't be deciphered, beyond the fact that they had the word summoning in them, smoke bombs, various bladed weapons, etc. This person was no civilian. She was definitely some kind of trained professional.

The only clue we had was the headband we had confiscated off of her. A simple metal plate sewn onto a blue headband, the only symbol on it was something I believe our Japanese translator said was a leaf. The vest she had been wearing was a similar to the flak jackets our military wore, but had several containers sewn on the front that held the scrolls we had found, along with various small round pills. The leg holster held a large number of…kunai I believed they were called, and shurikens. Everyone weapon was in excellent condition, sharp and ready to be used, including the wakizashi blade she also had. Everything was in meticulous order, indicating a person who paid attention to detail. The Japanese translator had commented, with obvious dubiously, this person was most likely a ninja, or shinobi.

I knew of Snake Eyes and those apprentices of his, but they were rather different from this…Renja. The doctor had stated that she seemed cool and controlled, with a hint of cynicism. He also noted that she was in excellent physical condition, but other medical tests had indicated that her body had been through its share of abuse. Signs of old broken bones, torn muscles, scar, etc, this woman was no stranger to injury or battle. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my chin. This was going to be an interesting conversation.

**Shinzui's POV**

Ok, it's been a heck of a long time before I've ever been nervous about meeting someone. The only person who made me feel like this was the Hokage back home, but this…er…General Hawk guy sounded important. I nervously flattened my hair, for the umpteenth time.

"Renja? The general will see you now." I inwardly winced, well, here goes nothing. The attendant opened the door and clicked it shut when I entered. I paused as I entered the room, studying the figure sitting behind the desk in front of me. A middle aged man, he certainly was in good physical condition. Though, I noticed a slight slump in his shoulders, perhaps an aftermath of something? His graying hair was cut short and he was dressed in an impeccable military uniform. But it was definitely the eyes that got me. Hazel brown eyes that were as sharp as an iron blade were fixed on me, forcing me to involuntarily stiffen. This was a man who gave orders and was used to having them followed. His face betrayed nothing, a blank mask. I inwardly winced, this guy was definitely someone you should not cross. Standing next to him was another soldier, back straight and stiff. I eyed him, Japanese decent, probably for translation purposes. Didn't they know I spoke English to?

"Renja is it?" I nodded, this is like speaking to Hokage, I wasn't about to let myself be intimidated so easily. "Take a seat please." I stiffly made my way to the chair on my side of the room and took a careful seat. Hawk picked up a file that had been sitting on his desk and opened it up. "I'm sure you can guess your reason for being here, so I won't bother to explain to you."

Well, I could take a pretty good guess. I had most likely ended up somewhere where secrecy was practiced, and knowledge was not supposed to be known. I had displayed physical feats that no normal human could ever possess, not to mention they had found me literally armed to the teeth. Yea, all valid reasons why I was here. "That's fine with me…Hawk-dono." The general raised an eyebrow and looked to the soldier standing next to him.

The soldier cleared his throat. "Dono is an honorific title, sir. She's using it to designate that she recognizes you as a superior, but not her superior." Haha, smart kid. I only refer to Hokage-sama as my superior.

"I see." Hawk brought his unfathomable gaze back to him, which I met squarely. "I must admit Renja, that you are an interesting person. Accelerated healing, apparently tolerance to injuries that would kill normal people, and being fully armed." No really? "I want you to explain to me exactly who you are and where you come from."

Yabai(1) …could I really divulge secrets that I had been taught since childhood were to never be given even under threat of death or torture? I paused and held my chin. Then again, I remembered the voices that had been speaking to me when I had been stabbed by that Grass shinobi. My comrades believe me dead and I had ended up here. I remember that Sandaime-sama had mentioned that sometimes, death was merely another journey. Had mine been interrupted until I had ended up here? That would explain why people had not been able to identify me at all, back home, anyone would have recognized what I was from my head band alone. Somehow…deep in my gut, I think this was an instant where outsiders could know about me. After all, I seemed to be the only shinobi here. So, I cleared my throat.

"For…starters Hawk-dono, my real name is Hayashi Shinzui. And you must understand if I am…uncomfortable revealing this information to. In my homeland, I was taught to never reveal these, not even under torture." The general and his assistant did not seem too surprise at that bit of information.

"So…you first name is Hayashi?" Before I could answer, his translator chose to interrupt.

"Actually sir, in Japanese culture, the last name is spoken first. Her first name is Shinzui." The soldier gave me a look. "And as another note sir, her name happens to roughly translate into Forest Spirit." The general's eyebrow rose at that information while I was secretly smug. My name had been given to me by my mother, when she claimed she saw a spirit in the forest where she had given birth to me.

"Ahem, as I was saying Hawk-dono. I am a shinobi of Konohagakure, better known as Konoha, the Village Hidden among Leaves or Hidden Leaf Village. I have the rank of Jonin, or elite. I am currently 27 years of age, having achieved the rank of Jonin at the age of 17." The general's face had still not changed, while the soldier was practically gaping at me. I paused for a bit to collect my thoughts before continuing. "I am skilled in the areas of tracking, information gathering, combat…and assassination." Hawk's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as the soldier paled visibly.

"That is very interesting, and where exactly is this…village located?" I frowned, good question, I didn't think I was home anymore after all.

"I'm afraid I do not know. We were located in a remote area of Japan and that's all I do know. I'm afraid I'm…not exactly from around here if you catch my drift." At the general's silence, I wondered whether I had said something wrong. "And even if I did know Hawk-dono, you will understand that I cannot reveal the location of my village."

Still nothing, did I just sign my death wish? "I understand Shinzui, secrecy seems to be a tradition that has been bred into you, so I will not push the issue. " Well, that was a relief, that is, until I saw that look in his eyes. "However, you also should understand that we cannot simply allow you to leave with the knowledge that you have. " …yabai…

"However." However…I perked up. "I am willing to make you an offer." Hawk put the file that he had been holding down. "There is an anti-terrorist organization that I have command over. I think a person of your skills will be appreciated if you joined."

Anti-terrorist? I was a shinobi and we strongly believed in honor, terrorist were those with no honor, willing to commit atrocities against those who are defenseless. This was probably the best choice for a person like caught in a situation like this..

"…very well, I think that's probably the best option for me Hawk-dono…or Hawk-sama seeing how you will be my direct superior."

A faint smile flirted across the general's face. "First, I think we'll need to test your skills before I introduce you to the team."

Test? Oh Kami…

_Sometime later_

**Shinzui's POV**

Hmmm, well, this was going to be interesting. After the meeting, they had led me to what looked like a small indoor arena. They had given me back my equipment, which to my surprise, they had managed to repair. I flexed as I could hear the pop of tendons and joints. Let's get this started already! I looked up at the observation room where I could see General Hawk, but standing near him was someone else, but I couldn't get a good look at them.

"Alright. We'll be starting soon." Finally! I took a deep breath and took the Lotus taijutsu stance. Soon, there was a rumbling sound as four mechanical…things appeared. They looked like mechanical humans, but bristling with weapons and definitely looked dangerous. "Alright…go." As soon as those words came out of his mouth, those things charged me!

"Ha, this will be fun…

**General Hawk's POV**

I watched as our mysterious guest took a martial arts stance and seemed unconcerned with the approaching danger. "If she manages to impress us with this, she will be under your command."

My guest looked up and gave me a calculating look before returning his gaze to the arena below. "If you say so sir, the lass looks capable enough."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what do you mean…" I was cut off when he pointed down. I looked down just to have my jaw drop.

"Shunshin no Jutsu!"(2) Shinzui then proceeded to completely vanish in a flicker. The combat robot that had just been about to strike her stopped in confusion, then it was launched right across the room into a wall. "Dainamikku-Entorī!"(3) Shinzui was now seen occupying the spot it had just been in; mid air with her leg stretched out indicating she had just kicked the thing. My jaw dropped when the next combat robot was now aiming to strike her from behind, and yet, her face was still had a confident look on it. This was indicated when she dropped back to the ground and suddenly twisted. "Konoha Senpū"(4) I watched in amazement as she kicked out the legs of the combat robot, sweeping it off its feet, before landing another kick on its upper torso, smashing it in half. I couldn't believe it, she was displaying inhuman speed and strength, with no apparent outside factors.

She now flipped back to her feet to face the remaining two combat robots. She had taken that stance again and was studying them as they circled her. This time, she pulled out her wakizashi and placed two fingers near the hilt. As the finger moved toward the point of the blade, it began to glow blue! "Hasu no mai!"(5) Shinzui vanished yet again for a brief instance, before suddenly appearing behind the robots, sword out at her side. For a brief moment, the robots merely stood there, before slash marks appeared and they crumbled into pieces. She gave the wreckage one dismissive glance and back up to where I was standing. She gave a thumbs up, heh, had to give her a point for spunk.

"Well, I think she got through our test. We'll get her suited up and you'll be introduced in her in a few hours." He saluted before leaving and I turned my gaze back to Shinzui, who was now being approached by some technicians, no doubt explaining that she had pasted and was about to be suited up. My gut had been right; she would make an excellent addition to Sigma 6.

**Ranger's POV**

Well, this was…an interesting change. I was scoping myself out in the mirror, checking out my, what did they call it? Oh yes, the "Sigma Suit." It consisted of a tight mainly black body suit. On the inner thighs and shoulders was a dark forest green trim, by my insistence. An overlapping armor of some type was over my chest and on my gloves, added with metal plating on the back of my hands. They had designed the suit based off a drawing I made for them when they described the technology to me. The shoulder pads were overlapping light metal plates; I wore shinobi style shin guards attached to boots. The communicator, as they called it, was attached to my left wrist, my right wrist was occupied by a "laser" weapon. They had done a bit of training with me and I had learned pretty quickly. I was shinobi after all. They had also modified my wakizashi, making stronger, but will consisting of the same metal ore. It was the only metal that would work with my Hasu no mai, being able to absorb chakra. My last piece of equipment had been made for memory sake. They had suggested that I make some kind of way for me to enhance some of my senses for my eyes and such, and I had remembered my ANBU mask. But I decided to change the design to better fit this world. It was a gray metal oval mask with a band that wrapped around my head to hold it in place, for the visor, I gave it a T shape. They had made the visor the same green color as my uniform. It was flat enough that it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to wear, but enough to protect my face somewhat, at the moment it was perched on top of my head. Overall, I didn't look too bad.

That's when my communicator beeped and I flipped it open. "Ranger? The General is requesting your presence."

Hmm, guess I had better get going. "I'll be there in a bit." Ranger was the codename that the general had bestowed on me, deciding that it was fitting for a person with my knowledge and skills. I had to agree.

I now stood in front of the general and I could tell he was appraising me. "Ranger, I would like to be the first to congratulate you on joining Sigma 6, you will make an excellent member."

I gave a smart salute and bow. "It is my honor, Hawk-sama." He smiled as he clicked a button on his intercom system.

"Send him in." Then he returned his attention to me. "I would first like you to be orientated with being with the team, the main force are out on active duty and from we can tell, don't need help just yet. I have a secret project I've been working on for some time under the command of another soldier I plan to transfer to Sigma 6 as well." He looked up as I heard the door slide open. As I turned around, General Hawk decided to introduce me to the newcomer. "Ranger, meet your current commander, Lt. Stone."

* * *

(1) miserable, wretched (situation). As an exclamation, this can be translated as "This is bad!" or an emphatic "Uh-oh." 

(2) Body Flicker Technique

(3) Dynamic Entry

(4) Leaf Whirlwind

(5) Dance of the Lotus


	3. The Introduction

Ch.3

**Ranger's POV**

Lt. Stone eh? I studied the man as he held out his hand for a handshake. He looked probably either around my age or a few years older, with short brown hair kept under a burgundy beret. His one chocolate brown eye was probably studying me; his other eye was hidden behind a black eye patch. His sigma suit was similar to mine, except where mine had green trimming, his was burgundy as well. He had a slim build, but his muscle definition was visible, this guy was in top physical condition. He had a handsome, chiseled face that looked ready to smirk at any given point.

"Ranger is it? Finally glad to meet you lass." I firmly returned his handshake.

"Nice to meet you to, Stone-sempai." The Japanese translator looked ready to explain, but Stone waved him off.

"Sempai, anyone who is one's senior in a hierarchical organization. Am I correct?" I had to be impressed, this guy did his homework. "I'm a man that takes pride in knowing facts."

I let a small smirk cross my face. "So I noticed." I turned back to General Hawk. "Mind telling me what exactly is this project that I'm supposed to be joining?"

The general merely looked amused. "You'll find out soon enough. You are both dismissed." Stone and I gave salutes before heading out.

**Lt. Stone's POV**

I had to admit, I was dubious when General Hawk contacted me and stated that he had found a new member to join Sigma 6 that had unique skills. We had many people who had potential to join the team, but I thought we were set. When he invited me to view a demonstration of the new member's skills, I had to see for myself. When I saw Ranger's skills against the training bots, to say the very least, it was bloody brilliant. She didn't even break a sweat as she smashed them.

When I had my chance to meet her face to face, I could see why some might doubt her skills. She was of a little over average height, straight backed and proud. Long raven black hair was tied carefully up into a high ponytail while dark green eyes portrayed nothing, but confidence. She had the distinct features of a full blooded Japanese, with almond shaped eyes and delicate features. When she had shaken my hand, I could feel the strength that churned just below the surface, this lass was someone who could take a hit and give it right back.

"So, Stone-sempai, judging from how your accent is different from the others around here, I'm guessing your not exactly a native?"

I smirked slightly at her. "Indeed, you're from Japan, my home country is England." Ranger looked a little confused. "I take it you've never been there?"

She shook her head. "Most of the missions I had to undertake were all in Japan, my…handicap made it hazardous for me to do missions outside of the country." I raised an eyebrow. "Handicap?"

A wistful smile crossed her face. "Long story, but let's say I'm a bit unique where I come from. I'm limited in what I can or cannot do compared to a normal shinobi." She gave me a look. "But that doesn't mean I'm helpless."

I held my hands up in a mortifying gesture. "I never implied that lass."

She gave an impish smirk. "I never said that you did." Well, that was…surprising. This was going to be an interesting day.

**Ranger's POV**

I gaped…and gaped some more. That…thing was huge! Stone explained that it wasn't finished, but I couldn't help it. It apparently was supposed to be a sea mobile base that Sigma 6 was going to use when it was completed.

A hand waved in my face returned my attention back to earth. "Lass? You looked like you've seen a ghost."

I coughed and hid my face as I could feel the heat rising. "Um, it's just…I've never seen anything on this scale before." Well, I was lying; there was ONE thing I had seen that could kind of compare to this thing…"This…thing is supposed to be a base?"

Stone gave me a smirk. "Yes, and 'it' is known as the Sea Titan, as I said before, its not yet operational, but a few more months…"

"Uh…yea, I got the picture." I rubbed the back of my head; this was definitely a lot to take in.

Stone gave me a look like he understood what was going on through my head. "Well then, I'd better introduce you to the last member of our little group." I looked up; there was one more person? Stone suddenly looked behind me and smiled. "Oh good timing chap, I was just about to call for you." I whipped around to face the newcomer.

He was about Stone's height, probably a few inches over six feet, with black hair cropped partly short. Equally dark eyes were studying me, set in a handsome face, in a roguish way, complete with a small and neat goatee. His sigma suit was more elaborate then mine or Stone's, with flame orange trimming with metal plating on the shoulders and elbows. He had a single steel earring on his left ear. "Who's the new chick?" His voice had a rough tone to it, compared to Stone's smoother voice. He was also just slightly more muscularly built then Stone was. I bristled; no one called me a chick.

Stone's hand was suddenly on my arm, he had probably sensed my irritation. "Firefly, meet Ranger, she'll be joining us." Firefly gave me a closer look once he learned my name, before a cocky smile crossed his face.

"Ranger huh? I must wonder…" He held my free hand on the arm that wasn't being held by Stone, which happened to be my left and raised it. "Can you fight as well as you look?" Before he could kiss my hand, I darted it back.

"We'll just have to see about that won't we?" I gave him a cautious look, this guy seemed a little too confident in himself. "I just joined, so you'll have to wait." The guy gave me another look I couldn't decipher, until the grin came back.

"I look forward to it, so what are your humble skills to the team?" I gave Stone a confused look, what was this guy talking about?

Stone gave me another understanding look. "He means what your specialties are. For example, my primary functions within Sigma 6 are being a pilot and a covert ops specialist."

Firefly smirked before pointing a thumb at himself. "I happen to be the team's, or will be the team's, sabotage, demolitions, and electronic warfare expert." By the word electronic, I had a blank look at my face. I had no clue what they…wait a sec. I had recalled a conversation I had overheard with General Hawk talking to his own superiors, what did he say I did? Oh, now I remember.

"Uh…well." Stone and Firefly looked at me expectantly. "I think someone mentioned my specialties were enemy infiltration, sabotage, and reconnaissance. Also another ninja to the team I guess…" I decided not to mention that the general had said my…assassination skills might also be useful.

Firefly looked at appreciatively at me. "Hey, you're a combination of me, Stone, and that ninja Snake-Eyes." I blinked at him, who the hell was Snake-Eyes?

As if reading my mind, Stone answered. "Snake-Eyes is a chap that's on current active duty with Sigma 6." Oh…he was a ninja? It would be interesting to meet him…and I noticed that Stone had released my arm at some point without me noticing. "Now then, Ranger, I still need to give you the rest of the tour." He gave Firefly a look. "We'll see you later chap."

Firefly waved his hand in a dismissive manner before striding off. I watched as he disappeared around a corner, I got the feeling I had to watch myself around him. But I quickly turned my thoughts back to the task at hand as Stone led the way; I still had a lot to learn.

_Some time later_

After the tour, Stone had shown me my room before leaving to perform whatever duties he had overseeing this project. My room was pretty plain, he had stated it was temporary and we all would have permanent quarters on the Sea Titan itself when it was ready. Not that I had a problem with that, I've stayed in far worse.

As I lay on my back with my hands folded behind my head, I stared at the ceiling. I had already removed my sigma suit and was dressed in a plain pair of black pajamas. A lot had happened to be within the past week, a whole lot. I sensed that I was never going to able to go home, which meant I would have to adapt to this new home. I smirked; it was going to be interesting. I let all my thoughts wash away for now, it had been a long day, I was going to need all the rest I could get. I welcomed the darkness of sleep as I closed my eyes.

* * *

Thanks again to Jared for helping me with ideas and proofreading. There might still be minor errors, oh well, I'll fix them later. ;) Anyways, enjoy! 


	4. The Misconception

Ch.4

**Ranger's POV**

It had been a few weeks now and I think I was finally adjusted to the routine. The construction of the Sea Titan was proceeding on schedule and we were looking at a few more weeks before it was fully operational. I had grown more comfortable with the team I was working with, from the crewmen and of course, my fellow Sigmas. I was mildly surprised to find Firefly an able sparring partner, though most of the time I won our little spars.

I was currently in the training room, a place where almost anyone could find me besides the rec room. I was currently practicing one of my katas on the mat, carefully performing the various moves of my taijutsu's styles. My thoughts wondered back to my two teammates, I couldn't even see how they were friends when their personalities were almost polar opposites.

Firefly was, well; I guess the best way to describe him was cocky. He had great confidence in his abilities and always had that mischievous gleam in his eyes. I had seen him when he practiced; his skill was undeniable, especially with his deadly fire sticks. In our spars, I usually won only though sheer luck or pure cunning, often exploiting him when he got overconfident. He still made his advances toward me, but I only saw him as friend. I had to figure out a way to get that through his skull.

Stone was by far Firefly's opposite. He had confidence, but he never flaunted it to the level that Firefly did. Not to mention he had that mysterious air around him, a man of many secrets. I could see the scar that ran out from beneath the eye patch; I wondered what he had been through in his young years of life. He was always polite, courteous, and polished in his actions, whether speaking or fighting. Unfortunately, I had not had a chance to see him do the latter. I had to admit, despite the eye patch, Stone was quite handsome to my eye. I found that he was an easy person to talk to, someone who understood a lot of what went through my head and my customs which often confused people.

I breathed a sigh as I finished the kata and wiped my forehead with a towel. The sigma suits helped take the edge of the exhaustion that normally went with these workouts, but my high stamina from years of training did most of the work. I was just about to start my second kata when a voice startled me.

"Ranger?" I cursed, I was getting rusty, I usually sensed people before they approached. But I recognized the accent and turned around to see Stone standing near the door.

"Stone-sempai, you startled me." I coughed to hide my embarrassment as I tossed the towel aside. He got up from where he had been leaning against the doorframe and approached me in measured steps. "Is there something I can help you with?"

He cocked his head to one side as his one eye studied me, I could feel a warmth start creeping up my face despite my internal protests. Kami, he looked so no stop right there, this guy is my superior for crying out loud! Stone then gave me an easy smile. "I was just stopping by, how are you adjusting?"

"I'm doing quite well; I was just about to start my second kata. Then I was thinking I could go bug Firefly to spar with me again."

Stone's smile didn't physically change, but seem to grow warmer. "Firefly's on assignment for something, I'm afraid the chap won't be available for sometime." Oh, dammit..."However..." I perked up, however? "I could spar with you."

It took considerable will power not to let my jaw drop open, Stone...spar with me? "Well...ummm, Stone-sempai.." He suddenly raised a hand.

"I think we've known each other well enough lass, you don't need to use honorifics with me. Just Stone will suffice." I nodded dumbly and a few minutes later, I found myself facing Stone in a combat stance.

I studied his profile, he too was in a combat stance, but lacked the tenseness that most people would exhibit. Alright then, I would make the first move. I sprang forward with a kick. To my surprise, he moved quickly to one side and I found my leg suddenly grabbed. But I wasn't completely caught off guard, with a quick wrench; I freed my leg and landed in a handstand. I then sprang off my hands to grab Stone's neck with both my legs. I could almost imagine the surprise on Stone's face, people often didn't realize how fast I could move. Within a heartbeat, I flipped Stone and held him in a pin, one arm wrapped around his neck and my hands holding his arms while my legs held one of his.

I could hear Stone breathing and feel his muscles flexing as he struggled to free himself. My head was currently resting hear the base of his neck as I maintained the hold. That's when I noticed a peculiar smell up close, he was wearing some type of cologne that actually smelled quite nice I could feel the heat radiating off his body from the exertions of his movements and my mind suddenly seemed to stop focusing. What a sec, what the heck was wrong with me? I had been up close to men before back home and none of them gave me these reactions. Too late, I noticed an oddity with his left arm, where the rest of his body gave off warmth, his left arm was not and lacked the feel of flesh, but felt hard and solid. The said arm suddenly wrenched itself out of my grip and snagged me by the back of my sigma suit. I yelped as I found my hold reserved, with Stone now pinning me to the mat.

I could feel his hot breath on the back of my neck as he was now in the position that I had trapped him in just a moment ago, the flexing of his arm as he held it around my neck, and I found my brain going foggy again. DAMMIT! SNAP OUT OF IT! I knew he had me trapped so I was forced to tap indicating defeat. He immediately let go and was helping me to my feet.

"I must admit lass; I thought you almost had me." He was smiling warmly at me again and his hand was still holding mine. I could now feel my face burning, but I could probably pass it off from the training.

"And I'm surprised you manage to beat me, few even back home could best me hand to hand." I gave a weak smile as he looked me. His brown eye was churning with something I couldn't identify and I was still aware of how close he was. "Umm, excuse me, I think I'll just go do my duties now " I withdrew my hand reluctantly from his and almost bolted out the door. Unbeknownst to me, if I had looked back, I would have caught the emotional war going through Stone's face.

**Stone's POV**

As I watched Ranger disappear out the door, I heaved a huge sigh. The emotions that had been churning through me were slowly beginning to still. I had not expected them when I had held Ranger down on the mat. But I could still feel the curve of her body against mine and the warmth she had radiated. Ranger was different from any other woman I had experienced, she was as skillful as she was beautiful and more. She wasn't arrogant, far from it, and I could still feel her hand when I had clasped it in mine to help her up.

I shouldn't be doing this, she was a stranger here and still unfamiliar with many things, and I had noticed Firefly's obvious advances toward our resident ninja, though she seemed to rebuff them. I pinched the bridge of my nose and stared at the ceiling for a bit. Would she even want a man like me? A man who wasn't complete? My gaze dropped down to my left arm, the limb that had allowed me to achieve victory over Ranger. Would she care that I wasn't all flesh and blood?

**Ranger's POV**

As I returned to my quarters, I bolted inside and flopped down on the bed. I actually had a little time before going off to my duties and decided to try to still my beating heart. That's when I noticed there was something lumpy in my bed. I got up and lifted the sheet, revealing a leather bound book. I quirked an eyebrow, it was a book on Japanese literature, including some I had never read before, all written in my native language. I examined it, I did recall vaguely during a conversation with Stone and Firefly, I had stated that one of my interests was literature, something that had surprised them both a little bit.

I ran a hand over the cover, who had given me this? That's when I frowned and sniffed the book; there was a very faint scent on it...a very familiar one. I widened my eyes...no, it couldn't be...could it? I dropped the book on my desk before sitting back on my bed and holding my head in my hands. I had no experience with this; none of the men back home had aroused any interest for me, beyond friendship. Yet...I knew I had to stop beating around the bush.

I bolted up; I had to talk to him. Just as I was walking out the door, I almost collided with Firefly, only my quick reflexes stopped me from knocking him right over. "Firefly?"

He blinked before suddenly looking sheepish and rubbing his head. "Ha, guess I shoulda tried to knock sooner."

I looked at him. "I thought Stone said you were on duty."

"I was, they let me off early anyway Ranger, I was hoping I could talk to you."

"Well, I was "

"Alone." I hushed up, alone? Firefly wanted to talk to me alone? I had a really bad feeling about this.

I gave him a cautious look. "Ummm, sure, I guess so; I have time before my duties."

He gave me that cocky grin again. "Great, just follow me."

_Sometime Later _

Firefly had led me away to a part of the dock outside the base where the construction of the Sea Titan had been taking place. I had to admit, the sea breeze felt nice and I took a deep breath. Firefly stood nearby, hands on his hips, back facing me. He suddenly turned to me and there was a look in his eye that made me tense slightly.

"Beautiful day isn't it?" He was approaching me now and I kept my answer as diplomatic as possible.

"I guess " Oh yea, so diplomatic, oh well. He was getting closer and I took an involuntary step back.

"You know Ranger, when I first met you; I had a feeling we had a bit in common." Was this guy kidding? "You've been playing hard to get, but isn't it obvious?" He was standing right in front of me now "We're made for each other." Shocked, I couldn't exactly react when he suddenly grabbed my hand. I jerked my hand back and growled "Look Firefly I don't know how to say this but I think your signals are all crossed."

"What do you mean?" He asked with a hint of anger in his voice. Oh Kami...why did having to say this be so hard. "I only see you as a friend and a comrade. I'm sorry Firefly, but I don't like you in that way," I said turning away.

His hand lashed out suddenly and grabbed me by the arm, why that... "Ranger...I'm sorry...I'm a fool for thinking you could like me." Dammit...he was going to guilt trip me "I'm sorry if I came on a little strong...it's been real rough lately...the commander has been a bit edgy and blaming me for things I can't control."

I sighed. "I understand...just please don't do anything stupid, or lose your focus or you could die out there...and then who would I have to beat up?"

He laughed and shrugged. "Haha...fine...just for you I won't get killed."

I walked over to him and relaxed. "Good...and thanks for understanding Firefly…kun." On the other hand, I hoped a certain other guy was in the having feelings for me situation...GAH! What on earth am I thinking!

Firefly caught me in a friendly hug "Thanks for this Ranger...you've helped me chill out."

Mou...enough already just let me go! "Not a problem." I returned the hug just in time to hear a cough, which caused me to whip my head around.

Just at that moment that someone with a cruel sense of humor decided to have Lt. Stone walked in upon the scene. "Ahh...I see you two are busy...I guess...never mind...I can speak with you Ranger at another time." He was gone just as suddenly as he appeared and I could hear Stone running away. I broke out of the hug. "Stone!" I cried "Please, it's not what it seems!" I chased after him.

**Stone's POV**

I ran into my quarters and heard Ranger run down the hallway after me. "Stone...please, I can explain what you just saw." God, how could I even think she could like a man like me...a man who isn't complete...a man who is calm, and intelligent...they always seem to fall for the rugged 'bad boy' of the group. "Ranger...I'm not feeling well, I'm going to rest, please leave me be. We can speak tomorrow."

" Dammit Stone...please! Aishiteru!(1)" Those words forced me to freeze up for a good few seconds. She…she what? I turned back toward the door, unsure of my next action. "Please Stone…just…just open the door." I hesitated for an instant longer, before complying with her request.

"Alright…explain."

* * *

Hmmm, I'm sorry if this felt a little rushed, but I didn't think I'd have the patience to write all the inbetween stuff...anyways, enjoy! And stick around! Thanks again to Jared for helping me end this chapter cuz my brain was being stubborn.  
(1) I love you.


	5. The Forming of a Bond

Hehehe, thanks to all the reviewers! Finally, this story will start picking up some pace in future chapters. Stay tuned!

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Ch.5

**Ranger's POV**

When Stone finally opened his door and let me in, I wasn't sure how to talk to him. As the door hissed shut behind me, I beheld Stone facing mere inches from me. The look on his face was unreadable, but the look in his eye showed his hurt. I wanted to apologize profusely and all that, but somehow, my mouth was refusing to work at the moment.

Stone retreated from me and now stood about an arm's length from me. "Is what you say true?"

My jaw worked furiously. "O-of course Stone! Firefly is just a friend!"

Stone's one eye narrowed. "You hesitated." His voice was hard and cold.

Chiskuso!(1) Why was my baka mouth not working?! "It's not like that Stone!"

Stone's face only seemed to grow colder. "I'm not stupid Ranger. I've noticed the attentions Firefly has given you, you could have just been playing hard to get."

My expression hardened. "Are you implying something…"

Suddenly, Stone's expression seemed to soften. "I am serious Ranger, if you do have feelings for Firefly…"

That did it. "KAMI!(2) WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU STUBBORN BAKA?!" Stone actually took a startled step back as I raged at him. "I don't have feelings for Firefly, He. Is. Just. A. Friend! Get that through your head!"

"B…but…the times you spar with him…" Before I could stop myself, my hand lashed out and I, to my severe embarrassment and shame later, slapped Stone.

"That's all it was, sparring." I could feel the heat from my anger starting to fade away as Stone looked shocked at me. "Stone…you are the only one that could get anything out of me besides professionalism." I stepped closer and he made no movement to retreat. "You want proof? Well then, here it is." Before he could react in anyway, I seized him by the front of his sigma suit and pressed his lips against mine.

I felt him instantly tense him as I moved my arms to wrap around his neck. For a good long heartbeat, I thought I probably caused him to faint on his feet. Then, I swore I heard something like a growl against my mouth and suddenly, Stone's arms wrapped around my waist and he returned the kiss, triple fold. I had not exactly expected the reaction from him at this level.

His kiss was fierce and fiery; I felt his tongue as it swept boldly over my teeth. He pinned me against the wall and pressed himself against me. My senses were overwhelmed by him, the heat of his body…the scent of his cologne…it was finally the need for oxygen that forced our lips apart. Whew, that took my breath away. For a moment, Stone did nothing but hold me close to him, I could feel his breath against my ear.

He pulled back and I could finally look at him in the eye. I saw pure joy shining as bright as the sun itself in the brown depths of his gaze. "So…all this time."

I grinned at him. "Yes Stone, you and only you." He smiled now, a REAL smile as his right hand gently caressed my cheek. "I guess this means no more secrets between us hmmmm?" I gave him a sly look and he chuckled. He leaned over and kissed me again, but gently this time.

"Just between us." He smirked at me once he pulled away from me again. He then raised his left arm and held it in front of me. I gave him a curious look, but he merely gestured for me to grip it. As I did what I was guessing me wanted me to do, I noticed once again the difference with his left arm from the rest of him. For one thing, it didn't give off the heat like the rest of his did…and it felt like…metal? I gave him a confused look as he gently removed his left arm from my grip and went to remove his eye patch. I stared as he carefully removed the patch, to reveal what I thought would be just an empty socket, but instead as a mechanical eye. "I was afraid…that my upgrades would deter you."

"You…you have a mechanical arm and eye?" I snorted at him, getting a confused look from him. "Stone, from where I come from, you wouldn't have a hard time fitting in." I grinned mischievously at him. I shimmied up to him and laid my head in the crook of his neck. "You were worrying over nothing." His right arm snaked around my waist again and we simply stood there for a few minutes, savoring the moment.

Stone suddenly chuckled again, drawing another confused look from me. "Perhaps I was…but at least." He kissed my forehead and then his mouth was a scarce half an inch from mine. "I now get to know you…" I could practically FEEL his lips curve into a smile. "Up close…and personal." Before I could give reaction to that statement, he swept me up as if I was nothing but a rag doll. I yelped in surprised, but that yelp was soon smothered when Stone kissed me again. Before I knew it, Stone was straddling me on his bed, his lips still firmly against mine. My last coherent thought as I felt his hands start to wander, was that the two of us weren't going to be sleeping anytime soon.

**Stone's POV**

My first clear thought when I woke up was wondering if the last events I remembered were nothing but dreams. Then I felt a familiar form against me and looked down to see a slumbering Ranger, her head nuzzled against my bare chest. I breathed a sign of relief and held her tighter to me. She shifted in response to my movement I feared I had awakened her, but she merely nuzzled closer and slept on. I gently kissed her on the top of the head and relaxed. Ranger was definitely unlike any woman I had ever known; everything about her was just…exotic. She smelled faintly of flowers, a pleasant blend of them I couldn't identify. She had just the right curves to her form and was athletically fit.

However, I sensed that the both of us had to get up some point, with our duties still there. So, rather reluctantly, I nudged her slightly. No response, so, she wanted to do this the hard way did she? I tilted her head up and crushed her lips against mine. That got a response.

After a few minutes of spluttering, Ranger gave me a mock glare. "Nice way to wake up a girl in the morning." She gave me an annoyed poke in the stomach before sitting up. I mimicked her actions, minus the poke, and gently massaged her shoulders as she pulled up the sheet with some modesty in mind. "Urgh…what time is it…"

I stopped massaging her shoulders and wrapped my arms around her and nuzzled up against her neck. "Almost five in the morning love."

She blinked a few times and suddenly seemed more alert. "So, this a secret from the others to?"

I smirked. "For the time being, let them try to figure it out." She giggled a bit before gently freeing herself and reaching for her sigma suit.

"That sounds fine to me." I smiled for I had to agree. "And what about any other secrets between us?" She gave me a sly look as she began to pull on her uniform. As I also copied her actions and we were both fully dressed, I brushed my lips against hers once again.

"One secret at a time love…one secret at a time." She smiled at me and hugged me fondly.

**Ranger's POV**

Well, after that VERY interesting night with Stone, it was official, we were a couple. It wouldn't take long for the crewmen to figure that out, from how much time we spent together and the attention we gave each other. Everyone was fine with it though, it seemed that we were very well liked among everyone, though the girls all congratulated me for apparently "snagging" the handsome British sigma, to my severe embarrassment. Firefly also seemed fine with it, we still were good buddies.

Stone even showed me his second pride and joy, besides me of course, the Dragonhawk. I had to admit, that bird looked…amazing. Riding it was pretty amazing to when Stone let me ride as co-pilot and taught me a few things. I think he was a more then a little surprised to see me practically squealing like a little girl in excitement. But hey, how else was I supposed to react during my first time flying? Then the news finally came, the Sea Titan was fully operational and ready to move out. Luckily, Stone and Firefly were the only ones in the room when the news came so Firefly got to get a laugh when I joyfully glomped Stone when I heard the news. Stone looked annoyed, but I knew he was secretly pleased.

We also received the news of how the main Sigma 6 force had had their main base destroyed, so…sheer luck that the Sea Titan was finished hmmm? Anyways, we and the crew were now getting settled down on the Titan itself. To my incredible ecstasy, my room was of course, situated right next to Stone's. Good, so those late night trips wouldn't be too noticeable. He and I had agreed to let the rest of the Sigmas figure out our relationship; he really liked his secrets didn't he? Anyways, Firefly was deployed out; turns out we were actually in England, to get ready for our…introduction.

Stone, at the moment, was at the computer, typing up one of his insanely coded messages to be sent out to Duke, the de-facto leader of Sigma 6. Well, finally, after all this time, I was really going to fully join the operation. Cobra, watch out!

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(1) Something along the lines of shit.  
(2) Basically God.

Anyways, thank you to all for reviewing and reading my fic! Kudos to Jared once again to helping me out.


	6. Show off

Ch.6

**Ranger's POV**

Could someone explain to me WHY I had to wear this thing? It was basically a blue and white jumpsuit of some kind and it covered everything of my sigma suit underneath save for my hands. I shot Stone another annoyed glance as he leaned casually against the Dragonhawk next to me, waiting for the signal. "Tell me again why we are wearing this…disaster of fashion?"

He chuckled as he leaned forward and snaked an arm around my waist. "Because as crewmen of the Sea Titan and not officially part of the Sigma 6 team, we have to look like the rest of the crew." I harrumphed, but leaned against him, relishing the feel of him against me. That's when Stone's stupid communicator decided to totally shatter the moment.

"Stone, it's Firefly. The Joes are in a heap of trouble, looks like Cobra using one of their big birds to go after them. The plasma generator is also missing."

"Copy that Firefly, we'll move out now." He closed it while pulling the sleeve of the jumpsuit back over his arm. "Well darling, looks like we finally get into the action." He pulled on the helmet he had been holding in his left hand as he tossed me one. I easily jumped up into the copilot seat of the Dragonhawk, and securely placed the helmet on my head.

"Finally! I was getting fidgety." I gleefully rubbed my hands together as the cockpit closed and Stone began prepping the Dragonhawk. "So, this a chance for you to show off?"

I could almost imagine the look of mock hurt on Stone's face. "Why, I haven't the faintest idea of what you're talking about."

"Oh yeah, sure you don't." I would have poked him if I could. Then the Dragonhawk began its liftoff and soon we were going to save our comrades from the fire.

_Sometime later_

Ok, that's it; Stone was definitely a show off. Just had to wait until that…thing was about to drop the bombs on it intended victim…THEN launching the missiles at it. Of course, I was helping out by keeping tabs on that giant bird…which was trying to shoot at us…and failing miserably. "Eeesh, can't they tell they can't hit us with their kind of weapons?"

"Can't blame the chaps for trying" Stone was flying this thing like it was a part of him, totally at ease at the controls. He wasn't kidding when he said he was a veteran pilot. He was now zooming above the aircraft and peppering it with laser fire. "Here! Let me scratch your back a little!"

My fingers were moving furiously over the panel in front of me. "Shields are down, they're definitely feeling that." That's when I noticed something. "Stone, they've cut off power to their rear thrusters…looks like they're trying something."

I could almost imagine the grin on Stone's face. "Interesting…desperate but interesting." Then the Cobra ship dropped and I realized what they were doing. They were trying to put space between them and us…hah; too bad they didn't realize what they were dealing with here. The barrage of missiles the big ship sent at us were easily dodged and we raced downwards right after them. How did Stone manage to fly this thing with almost no difficulty at all? My stomach wasn't even moving around. The next salvo of missiles came at us and this time we saw we'd probably not be able to dodge them. Again, I could almost see Stone's smirk. "Nice try."

I grinned as I felt the Dragonhawk abruptly stop in mid-air and the green glow of the shields was visible. My view was then obscured when the missiles struck the shields, doing nothing of course. I wished I could see the Cobra's face when he saw the Dragonhawk emerge from the smoke guns blazing. I then noticed it had reengaged its rear thrusters and was moving off. "Stone, I think they're making a run for it." My suspicions were confirmed when the ship dropped jammers and soon disappeared from the radar. "Kuso…lost them Stone."

I could hear him chuckling. "Nice exit…very impressive!" He powered the Dragonhawk until it was now heading off away from the battle. "Well, that was an interesting experience."

I laughed. "Did you see the look at the people's faces below us?" I had to cover my mouth to try and regain some control over myself. "So, shall I send the next message?"

"But of course love." I grinned as I typed a few commands, sending out the next message Stone had typed up. I then leaned back and put my hands behind my head, this was turning out to be a piece of cake.

**Duke's POV**

As I rode the Panther Quad toward the rendezvous point indicated in the coded message we had received, I couldn't help but know who the person was that saved Scarlett and Snake-Eyes from Zartan. There was only one guy I knew who was a show off and knew how to code like that.

The sun was beginning to set when I finally reached the site, and the "mystery" pilot of the attack copter had his back to me and was watching the sunset. As I turned to look at the copter itself, I could have sworn I saw a person sitting in the co-pilot seat, but only their silhouette was seen.

"Been a long time Duke." My attention returned to the man standing at the edge of the cliff, whom had turned around now and was facing me. His face was mostly hidden in shadow, but there was no mistake on who this guy was.

"Stone…I knew it." That's when my radar suddenly beeped, warning me something BIG was heading our way. I turned a little to my left just in time to see the giant Cobra ship uncloak itself. Crap…my hand flew to my headset. "Scarlett, we've got a big problem here!" I could see Stone had heard my words and was already heading back to his own ship, shouting something to his co-pilot, who answered him in turn.

"Stay cool Duke, we're on our way!" Dammit, the Rhino could in no way get here fast enough…this was bad. The dust around me was blown up as Stone's copter powered up and took to the air, heading straight for Zartan's ship. I just hoped my old friend knew what the hell he was doing…

**Stone's POV**

I ground my teeth in frustration, didn't Zartan learn his lesson from the thrashing I had given him earlier? "These chaps don't give up!"

I could hear Ranger's furious typing as she looked over the radar and then I noticed a red field suddenly go around the enemy ship. "Uh…Stone, remember that plasma field generator we were supposed to STOP Cobra from getting?" She coughed. "Uh…they got it."

Oh bloody…I let loose a barrage of missiles and laser fire, but Ranger was right, the ship was now protected by the generator. I could almost imagine Zartan's gloating look he was probably sporting right now.

"I guess its time for plan B then Stone?" Ranger's voice was still calm, considering the tide of the battle had just swung the other way, but then again, we had an ace up our sleeves.

"Yes it is…" I swung the Dragonhawk around and headed toward where I knew the Sea Titan was submerged. "That's right Zartan…keep it up, I've got a little something surprised for you to." I hit the communicator and got Firefly's features on the viewscreen.

"Watcha got Stone?" I grinned in the most evil manner and I could have sworn I heard Ranger mutter something about me being a show off.

"Firefly, activate laser on my signal." I was treated to a strangled sound coming from Ranger's direction and Firefly looking at me as though I had sprouted two heads.

"HAVE YOU MISPLACED YOUR HEAD?! That laser's too powerful for close range!" Firefly waved his arms for emphasis.

I ground my teeth; I didn't have time for this, not with Zartan right behind me firing like there was no end. "The Sigmas are in way too deep and it's our job to pull them out…CLEAR?!" I could feel the Dragonhawk shudder from a close call and Firefly seemed to relent.

"Yea…but who's the one that pulls you out when you go under?" I could guess that Ranger was burying her face in her hands by now.

I smirked. "Why, you of course."

Firefly blinked once, before smirking himself. "Well, nice to be appreciated." I could him turn his head to the crewmen in the bridge. "Ready the laser!" Affirmatives were heard and turned my head slightly back, trying to imagine the look of smugness that must have been on Zartan's face.

"Hope you fellows are insured." Ranger's chuckle was muffled by her hands.

"Coming on attack coordinates." I could now see the bright glow of the powered up laser on the Sea Titan just ahead of me. "Ready when you are Stone."

"Come on now…steady…steady…NOW FIREFLY!"

"Oh Stone, I really hope you know what you're doing…" Ranger's voice had a hint of reproach in it.

"FIRE!" With a spectacular light show included, six lasers shot up from the hidden Sea Titan to strike at the unsuspecting Zartan. The red field around the ship shattered as the lasers went right through it.

Ranger gave a low whistle. "That…is going to leave a big mark…" The Cobra ship lurched to one side as it swung away, just in time to probably witness the entrance of the Sea Titan. "Ummm…is it just me…or is that ship thinking to do what I think its going to do? And why the heck is it still flying?!"

As I observed the Cobra ship, Ranger was right, looks like it was going to try and ram the Sea Titan. Firefly sounded furious when he saw that the ship hadn't been grounded. "You're kidding me! Nailed them good and that bird's still flapping!"

I sighed, why did things never seem to go as planned? "Because you missed!"

Firefly blinked and then looked indignant. "What in the world are you talking about?!"

"You were TWO degrees off with your shot…must I do EVERYTHING around here myself?" Firefly muttered something, probably something along the lines of obscenities. However, that Cobra ship was now definitely on a ramming course for the Sea Titan. "Ok, snap out of it lad, our _friends _are coming back for more." I clicked the communicator off, but managed to catch a glimpse Firefly's gawking look as the Cobra ship got closer.

But, knowing Firefly…my worries were soundly solved when the Sea Titan let loose a barrage of missiles at the enemy ship. Just before the big bird went boom, however, the cockpit detached itself…figures Cobra would put an escape pod method ready to use.

"YATTA!" Ranger was grinning gleefully at the fleeing Cobras. "Take that bakas!" I chuckled at her enthusiasm. Well, it was time to land and see about getting the rest of the Sigmas over here.

**Scarlett's POV**

I had to admit, I was more then a little apprehensive about this, true, these newcomers had saved us from Cobra, but wasn't a little coincidental that they appeared when they did? I watched as Duke approached the apparent leader, a tallish browned haired man wearing an eyepatch, and held his hand out for a handshake.

"Guess I should say thanks" The man grinned slightly and shook his head.

"Looks like your skills are rusted up a bit there…old chap." He then returned Duke's handshake firmly, who was wearing a look like he looked a little insulted. "Nice of you to notice."

The man chuckled. "Yes…General Hawk said you needed help and a new base…" The man's one eye swept toward me and Snake-Eyes. "Looks like the snakes have bashed you around a bit hmmm?"

Duke smirked. "Yea…guess you could say that."

I gave him a confused look; he was talking to this guy like he knew him. "You know this guy?"

Duke swept his gaze from the stranger, to me, then back. "From Ops training." I cocked an eyebrow. "Oh…really?" Duke nodded. "His codename is Stone…he and I used to have a lot of fun together."

Well, if this guy was ok in Duke's book…"Stone right? Nice to meet you." I held out a hand and Stone shook it in a friendly manner and nodded at me.

"Scarlett…" He then released my hand and turned to the second man on the deck. "And this chap, is codenamed Firefly."

Firefly smiled in a completely flirtiest manner and approached me and took my hand. "Why hello there…it is indeed my pleasure. Those skills and that beauty surely make you the ultimate Sigma 6 weapon." He then kissed my hand before I had anytime to react. YERK!

I jerked my hand back and coughed as I could feel the heat rising in my face. I heard a chuckle from the third member of the group, a Japanese woman who was currently trying to hide her chuckles behind her hand. "How…nice of you to say so…" Change the subject…change the subject…I gestured to my fellow teammate next to me. "This is…uh…Snake-Eyes." At that, I noticed the mystery third member was now eyeing Snake-Eyes with apparently light interest.

Firefly smirked as he stood in front of the ninja. "Well of course, the legendary ninja himself, Snake-Eyes!" He now put his face up close to Snake-Eyes, who had made no movement as of yet. "So tell me, what's the good word ninja?" No response. "Let me guess…the strong silent type?"

Stone now turned from his conversation with Duke, looking annoyed. "Firefly!" The said man turned his attention back to his commander, looking sheepish. "Yea?" Stone's eye narrowed. "Snake-Eyes doesn't speak…you nit."

Firefly looked completely embarrassment and backed away from Snake-Eyes, waving his hand apologetically. "Uh…my bad…"

Stone coughed. "Ah, before I forget the last member of our team." He waved to the woman who took a step forward to stand right next to him. "This is Ranger, a recent recruit."

Ranger gave a half bow and shook Duke's and my hand. "Nice to meet all of you, I've heard a lot of things about Sigma 6, glad to finally be a part of it." She then stood at respectful attention, both hands folded behind her back…weird, she reminds me of Snake-Eyes for some reason…

Stone has speaking again. "Officially turning over command of the Sea Titan to you, congratulations." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Firefly turn and blow me a kiss, but I turned away. Ranger looked amused at the action.

"Thanks Stone, she's a real beauty. This new base should put quite a dent in Cobra Commander's plans." I looked shocked, this…wow…

"This ship…is our new base?" Duke turned to me with an amused look.

"Yes, the Sea Titan was General Hawk's secret project." He cast a look at Stone. "Guess he had Stone here overseeing it until it was fully operational."

Stone nodded. "Glad to help Duke and psych to join the Sigma 6 battle against Cobra." He gave a look toward the sunset. "Nothing can stop us now."

**Ranger's POV**

When the rest of the team was now situated on the Sea Titan, I guess this place was going to get pretty crowded. I would meet the rest of the team tomorrow…not that I had a problem with that. I was currently in my room, listening to the gentle sounds of my bamboo water ornament, the thocking noise made when the shoot empty the water gathered inside of it and striking the granite slab.

I was lying down, hands folded behind head and staring at the ceiling. Hmmm, well I had finally gotten a look at the Snake-Eyes I had heard about so much…I'd probably meet his apprentices tomorrow. Duke looked like a man to be respected, I had no problem with that, and I was partially thankful for Scarlett's presence, at least there was something to distract Firefly.

My room was decorated very simply…on one wall, I had a rack of different types of weapons I was familiar with, but my wakizashi had it own place right above my bed. A shelf with literature books…and manga books, another little hobby of mine, was next to the weapons. The only other thing was various scrolls with Zen teachings hanging along the empty walls. I blew a strand of hair out of my face, that fight today had been interesting nonetheless.

I looked up when I heard the door hiss open, but I knew who it was before they had opened the door. I leaned my head back down as Stone approached me and sat on the edge of my bed.

"So? What did you think of our fellow teammates?" I jerked up and positioned myself right next to my lover and leaned my head on his shoulder, feeling his arm wrap around my waist.

"Well, I don't know them that well yet…but that will probably change tomorrow." I nuzzled into his neck, sensing his pulse quickening. "That is what tomorrow is for right?"

Stone's voice was remarkably calm and steady, since the fact that I was now playfully nipping at his neck and ear. "Of course…but first." I gave a yelp of surprise as Stone suddenly pounced on me and pinned me beneath him. "A certain temptress needs to be given a lesson, wouldn't you say," he whispered into my ear.

"Maaaaaybe?" I giggled as I could feel his hand start moving and his lips found their way to mine. Tomorrow may be a new day, but there's always a way to enjoy the here and now. After all, nothing could have gone wrong right tomorrow right?

It would be later that I would severely regret those words…

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Wow...this story is getting quite the reception...I LOVE YOU ALL! passes everyone cookies ;) As always, review and stay tuned! 


	7. Bad Tidings

Ch.7

**Ranger's POV**

Ich…ni…san…I counted my punches as I struck the hanging punching bag in front of me. I was in the gymnasium, which I had bugged the people to make bigger from the original design that they had come up with. I was actually out of that tacky uniform they had been making me wear finally and I couldn't be happier. Stone was giving the tour for Duke and Scarlett and I'm sure Firefly was up to his mischievous way. I had noticed him hanging around the ones known as Tunnel Rat and Heavy Duty and I'm sure they'd probably get themselves into trouble sooner or later.

And me? Well, I was happy just keeping myself fit. I may not be a great user of ninjutsu, beyond the simple stuff…no I can't shoot fireballs and all that fancy stuff. And I wasn't a master of genjutsu either, beyond simple illusions. Nah, taijutsu was my one and greatest strength. Speaking of which, I gave the punching bag one last kick and noticed that it didn't break this time…I had a bad habit of doing that…

I was about to hit it one more time when I sensed presences behind me. I half turned to see…what were their names? Oh yea, Kamakura and Jinx right? I had learned that they wee Snake-Eye's apprentices and that meant they were ninja in training. "Something I can help you two with?"

They both were giving me suspicious looks, couldn't imagine why…Jinx was the one that spoke first. "Ranger right?"

I humored her with a smirk. "Last time I checked, yea, that was my codename."

Kamakura frowned. Honestly, what kind of ninja wore bright yellow on their clothes? "We couldn't help but notice…you've had some ninja training haven't you?"

I snorted. "I prefer the term shinobi gaki." I smirked as I watched them look offended at the term. "But yes, I've been trained all my life. You have something to say about that?"

Jinx crossed her arms over her chest. "We've never heard of you and the movements you exhibited are different from our sensei's."

Oh wow, give the kid a gold star. "Let's just say the training I received is one of a kind gaki."

"STOP CALLING ME A KID!" Jinx would have leapt at me if Kamakura hadn't restrained her. Hmmmm, this gave me an interesting idea…

"Alright, I'll stop calling you kids…" They both looked triumphant. "IF and only if, you prove yourselves." They glared at me again, but I smirked. "First chance we get, I'll let you have a test run against me, win and I'll acknowledge you. However, fail, and I'll keep calling you kids until you prove yourself."

Kamakura gave me a long suspicious glance. "And why not now?"

I shook my head at him. "Because gaki, if we were to do my lesson here, this ship wouldn't be afloat for long." They both looked shocked now and could only keep staring at me as I left. "So, get ready at some point, because I've never gone easy on rookies." I left cackling evilly as the door hissed shut behind me.

**Stone's POV**

I had noticed that Firefly, Tunnel Rat, and Heavy Duty had disappeared…no doubt getting themselves into trouble. Then again…along the tour for Duke and Scarlett, I'd probably have a chance to catch them. Hmmmm, that's when I noticed the familiar woodland smell that seemed permanently fixed to Ranger, and sure enough, the said shinobi appeared around a corner. She had changed out of the crewman uniform, and judging by how much she had been sulking while wearing it, I wasn't too surprised.

Duke and Scarlett seemed surprised at the shinobi's appearance, probably because Ranger was quite skilled at being able to move silently and almost never give any notice to her presence. I decided to see if she knew where the trio of troublemakers was. "Ahem, Ranger, do you have any-"

"They're in the kitchen. They haven't been in there for long if you're wondering." She gave me a smile and pointed down the hallway. "I'm thinking Chao won't be very happy."

Those three…well, actually, probably Heavy Duty and Tunnel Rat were to hold more of the blame. I nodded and smiled at her. "Thanks for the information lass…where you heading off to?"

Ranger seemed to stare at the ceiling for a moment. "That…Hi-Tech resurfaced the ship right? I'm thinking I'll head to the hanger to have a look over the vehicles before going for my meditation time." She shrugged. "Reminds, better go grab my stuff." She began walking away and gave us a short wave. "Catch you all later."

Duke watched the retreating back of the shinobi before turning to me. "So, where did you manage to get someone like that?"

I gave a helpless shrug. "Don't look at me old chap, General Hawk was the one who found her and recommended she be under my command while I was supervising over the Sea Titan."

Scarlett gave me a calculating look. "And what do you think of her?" Hmm, perceptive one, I could see why Duke relied on this lass so much.

"She's an excellent soldier, follows orders, but with some leniency. She also has initiative, I'm sure she's had leadership roles before." I crossed my arms and met Scarlett's gaze squarely, leave it to the chums if they wanted to figure out more. "Now then, shall we continue?"

Duke placed a hand on Scarlett's shoulder. "Let's see if we can get those two troublemakers out of the kitchen before they eat everything." Scarlett nodded and I turned, heading right for the said destination.

**Tunnel Rat's POV**

Man, Firefly was the coolest guy around. The guy was giving us a tour of the ship, albeit less boring then the one that Duke and Scarlett were probably getting themselves. At the present, we were, ahem, liberating some midnight snacks. On the way here, we had bumped into Firefly's other teammate, a real hottie named Ranger. She had only given us a once over before continuing on her way.

Firefly was behind us at the moment, protesting at our gorging. That when things went from good to bad in least then a second.

A cultured accented voice that was very familiar broke through the air. "Looks like the ship has rats." The light clicked on to reveal a smirking Stone with a scowling Duke and Scarlett behind him, also a big Asian man who was scowling as well. "Big ones to." I choked on a sausage that I had been eating and struggled to swallow it down.

Stone placed his hands on his hips as Firefly palmed his forehead. "Save some room for dessert chums." His smirk grew wider. "Got a smashing idea for their next mission Duke." His one brown eye glittered with amusement. "Call it operation diet!"

…oh no…

_Some hours later_

**Heavy Duty's POV**

We'd been chatting with Firefly; so far, he had agreed with us that Stone was a little stiff, but still a cool guy. But now here comes the money question…

"So…Firefly, what's your deal with Ranger?" I noticed that Firefly had stopped tossing the tomato in his hand and stiffened.

"…she's just a friend." He had begun tossing the tomato again, but his stiffness was still visible. "Great girl, a lot of spunk."

"Really? She single?" I wasn't exactly ready for the look on Firefly's face when he turned to look at me. A look of absolute…well, I couldn't actually identify it.

"No…she isn't." His tone sounded funny too…

Tunnel Rat chimed in. "Really? Who's the lucky guy?" Firefly turned to look at him and stared at him for a long moment, before tossing him the last tomato and getting up.

"You'll have to figure that out for yourselves." Then without a backwards glance, he walked back to the entrance to the ship. Wow…what was that about?

_Some time later_

**Ranger's POV**

Well, things were quiet…which was a good thing since I was currently in the hanger sitting on top of the Dragonhawk. Fully equipped, I was vaguely wondering whether I should go back to training.

That is…until the entire ship began to shake violently. What by Kami?! I almost toppled right off the Dragonhawk, but managed to stay on it. Where we under attack? Then I heard the resounding clangs as the doors on the ship clamped shut…that…didn't sound like a good thing.

That's when I noticed the door to the R.O.C.C driver side get blasted open as Long Range hopped out. "I got a really bad feeling about this!"

Then I saw Stone running along the ledge that was above the hanger and he shouted at both of us. "Long Range! They didn't get the V.A.M.P or the Dragonhawk!" He turned his gaze to me. "Ranger, ride with Long Range!"

Good idea, I would probably have to do ground combat at some point and that's better then being stuck in the air with Stone. I nodded as I hopped down and headed for the V.A.M.P and hopped into the passenger side while Long Range jumped into the driver's side. "Vamados!"

_Sea Titan Deck_

**Long Range's POV**

Well, things weren't looking too good. Stone had dropped us off before blasting off into the air to take care of the Fire Bats while we were stuck with the regular bats. Sitting next to me was the new member, fully equipped. She had her eyes fixed forward and an unreadable mask across her face.

Her full uniform consisted of her Sigma suit and several accessories. She wore a bandolier, but instead of bullets, it consisted of several daggers and containers. Strapped to both sides of her thighs were small holders for something, the lids buttoned down. A mask was perched on top of her head and a long sword handle extended out from her right shoulder. She wore yet another blade strapped across her back at the hip on a belt, but the handle leaned left. The belt itself contained yet more canisters and containers. On her right and left wrist were probably her laser weapons, but they probably served other functions as well.

That's when a lucky shot from one of the BATS hit the VAMP and we flipped over. Ranger, looking ticked now, was out of the vehicle in the next heartbeat. "Looks like the field's change."

Whoa…wait a minute, was she going to charge those BATs by herself?! I hopped out of the VAMP a moment after her with my rifle ready. "Whoa, chica, are you loca?!"

She turned to smirk at me as she reached for up her mask. "Some have called me that, I prefer the term reckless." The mask slid down over her face as the T visor glowed green for a second. She then turned as her right hand grasped the hilt of her blade and the left did the same. "Who's ready for a demolition derby?!" I could only watch as the BATs turned their attention to her and either charged her or fired missiles.

Or rather…at where she HAD been. In the blink of an eye, Ranger had vanished. Suddenly, two BATs found themselves sliced and exploded. In the smoke, I caught a brief glance of the mysterious Sigma before she flickered and vanished again. This time, a BAT found itself smashed into the ground, Ranger's foot embedded in its head. Another tried to fire at her from behind, but she blocked to her right blade as her left swiftly sheathed its blade and threw something at the BAT. What looked like a small black dagger embedded itself in the wiring of the BAT's neck before suddenly exploding, taking it out.

"Hey! Long Range! Stop gawking and help!" Her shout snapped me out of my daze as I took aim and took out a BAT. "Long Range! Watch the bridge!" She was gone again as BATs began to find themselves mysteriously slashed or smashed.

Things were starting to look bad though…some of the BATs had already been able to strike at the bridge…and one more shot would have finished it. Ranger was too busy trying with a crowd of them at the further end of the deck and I was tangled up with a bunch of them too. This deck needs a bug zapper! That's when we both noticed one was now floating right in front of the wrecked bridge, readying its missiles. "Shimatta!"

Then, laser fire suddenly tore the BAT to bits and we both looked at the source. "What the…who was that?!" Walking out, smugly, was Firefly with a machine gun in his hand. "So I heard you guys were going a little batty out here." With that, he raised both machines guns and tore a bat to pieces.

Ranger, even with her face hidden, radiated a pissed off air. "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU ALL THIS TIME?!" Before he could answer though, a BAT suddenly launched a number of missiles at him. Uh oh…

Firefly strapped the machine guns back on his hips and reached for the two sticks that were visible over his shoulders. With a growl, he swung the sticks forward…and was hidden behind a wall of emerald flames. "Aye Carumba!"

Firefly strode right through the wall, flames sticks in his right hand and a mask in the other. "Is it hot out here? Or is it just me?" His smug grin was hidden as he slid the mask on and the eyepieces glowed. He was suddenly an explosion of movement trailing emerald flames behind him as he proceeded to quite literally roast BATs left and right.

I think I heard a groan and a mutter of show off from Ranger's direction as her blade decapitated a nearby BAT. "Muy caliente hombre…"

Anyone looking at the deck now would have thought a green fireball was moving up and down the deck, along with a whirlwind of steel and fists.

Ranger paused, perched on top of the last BAT that we had managed to finish off. "I think we're in the…" BOOM! Suddenly, the Sea Titan rocked violently again, but we managed to keep our balance. "…I jinxed it…"

Things were not looking good… "They sunk our battle ship," I shouted as Firefly slid his mask back. "Not yet amigo!"

Ranger nodded as she slid her own mask up. "Not by a long shot!" That's when the Sea Titan shook again. We all looked down to watch as the Sea Titan began to transform. First, it split right down the middle and widened the gap on the deck. Extra weapon armaments appeared as the Seat Titan clamed down again, now looking like a real battleship. Then, it launched a storm of missiles that instantly wiped out all the Fire BATs in the air. Whew…looks like Stone could finally relax up there. "And here comes the finisher…" We all looked up at Ranger's word as one of the cannons on the Sea Titan swiveled and took a shot at the Cobra ship that had been on another attack. The shot missed, but clearly short-circuited the ship and we continued to watch as the cockpit ejected itself and the rest of the ship crashed in the ocean.

Firefly gave a sigh of relief and swiped his arm across his forehead. "Well, that's one giant pest taken care of." Ranger gave a dismissive kick to the BAT she had destroyed, sending it crashing over the ship and into the water. Firefly waved for us to follow him. "Come on, Duke'll probably want to brief us."

Ranger waved him off. "I'll catch up after you guys." She had her eyes fixed on the Dragonhawk as it came in for a landing. I shrugged, probably wanted to brief Stone down a bit. So, I followed Firefly as we both headed for the bridge.

**Ranger's POV**

I wiped off a bit of sweat that had been collecting on my forehead. That had been quite a work out on the deck…not that I minded. I smirked as I slid my wakizashi back into its sheath and the new blade I had discovered in my room into its sheath. The new blade was obviously a gift from Stone, not quite the length of a katana, but longer then a wakizashi.(1) I would have to…thank him later for it.

Stone had now dismounted the Dragonhawk and was walking toward me. "I noticed you had fun out there on the deck Ranger." His eye was twinkling with humor.

I gave a mock snort and crossed my arms. "Fun? That wasn't even a warm up." I could feel a smile tugging at the corner of my lip. That's when I noticed what was happening behind Stone and my smile quickly vanished. Stone, seeing my expression, gave a confused look and turned around.

Just in time to see the Dragonhawk engage its autopilot and power up its engines. "What…HEY!" However, the Dragonhawk was already off and the backwash of its engines blew Stone backwards…right into me.

I went down with a loud oomph, but my gaze…as well as Stone's were fixed on the dot that was the Dragonhawk disappearing. I could feel Stone's entire body tense up as his gaze looked in mine. "Love…if they crack the code on the Dragonhawk…"

…oh no…that would mean…we were going to be in BIG trouble…I groaned as I palmed my forehead. So much for looking forward to a breather…we had to get that bird back before Cobra cracked the Sigma code…and their hands on our technology!

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Thank you again to everyone that reviewed! Extra thank you to Millen and mmkfire for reviewing so loyally! Extra cookies to you two! Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm also going to be a bit busy this week...and couple of weeks after...stupid college...so might take some time before next chapter comes...please be patient!

(1) Think of Sasuke's new blade if anyone has seen it.


	8. Search

Ch.8

**Duke's POV**

This was bad…Cobra had managed to get their hands on the Dragonhawk and we had no idea where it was. We had lost its signal some time ago and were trying to retrace it from where we had last received the signal. Currently, Tunnel Rat, Scarlett, Jinx, Spirit, and Heavy Duty were checking out the desert area. They had just reported that Cobra HAD been here, but were long gone.

Snake-Eyes and Kamakura reported from their search that they had also reached a dead end. This was getting frustrating. That's when I heard Hi-Tech's normally calm typing suddenly speed up and Scarlett's voice came over the com.

"Duke, we've picked up a signal."

I turned my gaze up to the screen where the signal was being picked up. "Hmmm, looks like some kind of homing transmitter." I dropped my gaze to Hi-Tech. "Hi-Tech, any ideas?"

He swiveled in his chair to face me. "The signal's really faint; I'm trying to boost it now." A look crossed his face as he typed something in. "LOOK! It's the emergency beacon on the Dragonhawk!"

Firefly clenched his fists. "Awesome! Let's go bring it home! Hehehe…" He edged toward the computer, but was stopped by a voice.

"Not so fast." We all turned with a little surprise to see Stone leaning against the back wall of the room with his arms crossed. "It is likely that Cobra is using the Dragonhawk as bait to lure us into some kind of trap."

Long Range shrugged. "Yea, the hombre has a good point there Duke."

Stone had uncrossed his arms and was approaching us. "We don't know what we're getting into." He stopped right next to me. Everyone had commented that even through Stone wasn't as heavily built as me; he commanded respect in his own sense. "This ship is too banged up."

Firefly looked indignant. "So what are we supposed to do, just sit here?!"

Stone gave him a passive glance and shook his head slightly. "No, not quite, you chaps make noise…and I'll sneak in."

Hi-Tech looked at him in surprise. "Alone…are you kidding me?"

The corner of Stone's mouth threatened to curve into a smirk. "No, not alone. Ranger will go with me."

Firefly frowned at him. "And…you've already told her?"

Now Stone smirked. "No, I don't have to. She's already heard. After all, she's been standing in this room for the past few minutes." We all jumped and turned around, sure enough, the enigmatic Sigma was standing in the corner looking bored.

I blinked, how did she…"When did you…"

She quirked an eyebrow at me. "Long enough." She then gave an easy grin as she walked up to stand just behind Stone. "Anyways, Stone has a point, he flies the Dragonhawk and I'm the next best covert ops agent."

Long Range rubbed his chin. "Well, if we make enough of a racket, they should get in ok."

Firefly had relaxed and nodded. "We just got to get their attention, Stone and Ranger can do the rest." He paused with his gaze slightly on Stone. "You know…Stone's the best spy I've ever seen." The reactions were…varied, Long Range's and Hi-Tech's eyes widened, Ranger looked miffed, and Stone…well, his expression didn't change.

I took control before anything got out of hand. "Right…let's give Cobra something to chew on." I turned my gaze to Stone and Ranger, who were looking at me. "Then, it's up to you two." The both gave nods and walked away to prepare…I cast one last glance to the people in the room. With the exception of Firefly, Long Range and Hi-Tech were staring at Stone's retreating back…but no way, my old friend couldn't be the spy…that much I know...but…I couldn't say for the mysterious woman walking next to him.

**Stone's POV**

Why did Firefly have to make that comment? I could sense Ranger's irritation coming off of her in waves as she finished strapping on the last of her equipment. Still, I had to cool her down somewhat…"Now now love, there's no need to get upset."

She gave me a look as she adjusted the mask sitting on top of her head. "Why not? Everyone's on edge now that we know there's a spy among the ranks. Everyone suspects you…and some probably suspect me." She clenched her fist; I could hear the gloves creak. "I have never…NEVER been questioned about my loyalty to anything!"

I coughed as we got on the elevator that would lead down to the lower hanger, where the Barracuda was waiting. "Ranger, I'm not questioning you at all." I placed a hand on her shoulder, feeling the muscles underneath twitch with suppressed energy. She then relaxed and looked a little ashamed.

"I know…I know…I'm sorry Stone…its just that…back where I came from, spies and traitors were rarely second offenders." I looked confused. "That's because, when they're caught, they're executed most of the time." What?! "When I was once part of the elite squad back home, one of my duties was to hunt down deserters of the village and either kill them and bring back proof of their deaths, or to drag them back to the village for punishment." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Not exactly great memories…I'm sorry for bringing them up."

I chose not to reply as the both of us climbed into the Barracuda, Ranger's arms wrapped around my waist as I took the driver's seat. That's when Hi-Tech's voice boomed out over the intercom.

"Cloaking system activated. Readying the VAMP and Panther Quad for deployment." The platform that we were resting on began to descend as water poured in. "Readying the Barracuda for immediate launch"

Now Duke's voice came in. "Ok boys, time for some off road!" I revved up the Barracuda and launched out of the side hanger. "With a little luck Stone and Ranger should be sneaking into the back porch and snagging the Dragonhawk while we're ringing the front doorbell. Everybody stay on your toes and don't get to close!" I could hear the engines of the other two vehicles in the distance. "We're only here to make noise, not mix it up! You got that?" We all gave rogers.

Ranger's arms tightened around my waist. "Did I ever mention how much I hate boats," she asked, her face buried against my shoulder. I chuckled as I increased the speed of the Barracuda. "A little too late I think Ranger." I laughed again as I felt her growl. "These are one of those times…that I hate you."

**Ranger's POV**

Kami…I was going to get Stone later for this. I was examining the Cobra Trooper that Stone had knocked out with a shot from one of his pistols. I had to admit, he did look good when he was fully armed. Stone had already used his bionic eye to scan the trooper and the holographic generators had kicked in, turning him into the perfect copy, minus the helmet. He held the said accessory in his hands as he patiently waited for me to finish my examination. I nodded to signal I was finished.

"I don't get it Ranger; we did install holo-generators in your sigma suit right?" I nodded as I stood up. "Then why aren't you…"

I clapped my fingers together in a seal. "HENGE!" I heard Stone yelp with surprise as a small explosion of smoke appeared around me and I reappeared disguised as the trooper. "Because I can do something else?" I smirked as Stone gave me a look which clearly stated that he wasn't that amused.

"Very funny." He placed the helmet on with a click and gestured. "Shall we?"

I gave him a victory sign. "Let's." I followed him as we made our way into the base.

_Sometime later_

I had to admit, Stone was definitely good at his job. He stunned two guards and was working on getting a security door open. The base shook as the others were leading the assault on the front entrance…I hope they were ok. With a flash, the controls shorted out and Stone wrenched the door open as I followed behind him. He looked around a bit and he removed his helmet and pointed. "The hanger bay." His disguise faded away to reveal his regular sigma suit as I returned to normal as well with another poof of smoke.

I squinted my eyes a bit, there was a big blue guy inside the control room with two troopers and he seemed to be yelling at them.

"That would be Destro." The name clicked with the figure as I remembered the files I had read. "Hmmmm…" There was suddenly a gleam of what looked like mischievous intent in Stone's eye. "Ranger, get into the hanger and see if you can bring the Dragonhawk back online…I'll get to the control room and see if I can disable the system."

I gave him a funny look. "And…how will I know you'll be doing that? If you haven't noticed…" He placed a hand on my arm and squeezed.

"Oh…you'll know." He winked at me before running ahead and disappearing around a corner. Why did I have a funny feeling something very odd was going to happen? I shrugged as I slid my mask down over my face and clicked a control on my wrist, activating my stealth system.

I edged around and through the various boxes that littered the hanger and towards the computer where I could see the Dragonhawk was hooked up to. The guard standing near the Dragonhawk was pretty easy to take down, one well placed senbon needle took care of that. The one at the computer terminal wasn't paying attention; one swift chop to the neck took bare of him. As I deactivated my stealth system and examined the controls, I could see what I needed to do. I began to type in the commands when suddenly laser fire erupted somewhere above me. I looked up to see Stone facing off against Destro…and not doing so good. Destro has some kind of energy barrier around him that absorbed Stone's pistol shots. I could see that Stone had figured that out too and suddenly leapt right through the window! Glass showered down around him as he placed his pistols back into their hip holsters. "How much time until the Dragonhawk is up and running?"

I dropped my gaze to the display. "…another few minutes and it should-"Our conversation was interrupted when the door to the hanger was literally blown from its hinges. We looked up to see a peeved Destro walk in. "…what did you do?" Stone gave me his best innocent look, which didn't fool me.

Destro's sneer was downright predatory. "Going some place?"

Stone tensed as did I as we got ready for a fight. "Was, but we seemed to have missed our flight." Then Stone gave me a signal and I knew what to do.

"But in the meantime, we'll stick around and here's our welcoming present!" My hand flew to my belt and retrieved several smoke bombs and hurled them in Destro's direction. The big guy's eyes widened as an explosion of purple smoke enveloped the scene. I immediately flew to one side and knew instinctively that Stone had done the same. When the smoke had cleared, I was hiding behind one of the cargo boxes and Stone hidden behind a computer.

"…hiding huh…how unbecoming of brave members of Sigma 6…really, what would Duke say?" I could see Stone frown at the words and then he locked eyes with me. Oh no…he wasn't going to use the…

I saw him hesitate for a minute, before punching in a command on his wrist com. Kuso…he was.

**Hi-Tech's POV**

I jumped in my seat as the computer suddenly came to life with displays. **Warning! Remote override activated!**

"What the…" I spun around in my chair to the two techs in the room "Who did that?!"

The one named Carlos spun in his chair. "Wasn't me! I think the ship's been taken over!"

Alexa was furiously checking the displays. "The Sea Titan is in emergency surface mode!"

I pulled at my hair furiously. "It can't be another computer virus!"

"Hi-Tech! Calm down!" Wait…was that Stone's voice? I glared at the com. "What's the deal?!"

"I have taken command of the Sigma system…and there's no time to explain." I blinked as another display appeared. "…hey! The target lock just engaged!"

"That's the location of the Dragonhawk and main hanger bay. If we hit the base there, it'll set off a chain reaction that blast half the island to kingdom com!"

Was he crazy?! "Hit the base with what Stone! There isn't enough firepower in the entire Sea Titan to crack open a Cobra base like that!"

His reply was riddled with dry humor. "Take a look at your screen lad." I looked up as the display changed yet again to reveal…

"The Defiant?!" I could almost imagine Stone nodding.

"It's a bit of a last resort." The Sea Titan shuddered as the huge missile began its launch sequence. "Can't let these snakes get the Dragonhawk you know…or the Sigma system."

"But…you don't have time to get out!" The entire ship shook as the missile took off. "Stone you can't!"

**Destro's POV**

I was furious…how dare that Sigma impersonate me and make me look like a fool! I hurled one of the various pieces of equipment lying around the hanger at the computer terminal I suspected one of the two Sigmas was hiding behind and was rewarded to seeing the male one rolled out to avoid it. "I'm getting tired of playing hide and seek, its time you faced me man to man!"

The man stood up and faced me, a smirk on his face. "You're right chap…the game is over!"

"…what?!"

The man's smirk grew wider as he held out his wrist com. "I've just launched a missile that will destroy you, me, my partner, and this base!"

"That's not possible!"

His partner, the masked female was suddenly standing next to him. I could almost imagine the grim smirk on her face beneath her mask. "Surely you've heard of the Defiant project?" I growled, I wasn't going down without a fight!"

**Duke's POV (a little earlier)**

Hi-Tech had just informed me of Stone's suicide plan. There was no way I was going to let my friend blow himself up! I was going to…

"Na ah Duke, don't even think about it." I blinked in surprise when Ranger's voice filtered into the com. "Stone and I know what we're doing…just trust us."

"Did you screw on your mask on too tight?" I heard Ranger sigh in exasperation.

"Just trust us Duke…keep the front occupied as long as you can then get out of there!" Before I could say anything, there was the click of the com being turned off. I growled, the Panther Quad was almost out of power which meant I couldn't stick around any longer…but the VAMP could…"Long Range, Firefly, you two head in there as backup! Keep the front entrance open as long as you can!"

"We copy that amigo! YEEHAW!" The VAMP tore through the wall of BATs and further into the base. I turned the Panther Quad around headed back toward the Sea Titan…I just hope things didn't go from bad to worse…

**Ranger's POV**

Oh great…this was…getting interesting…Destro had just used that weird magnetic field he had to hurl a bunch of random debris and such at us. "Let's play a bit of catch!" Stone was doing a great job dodging them, however, and was closing the distance. He lashed out with a punch from his left arm and noticed it wasn't stopped by the field. He then grabbed onto Destro's belt with his right hand and punched against with his left. As Destro tried to retaliate, Stone grabbed him by the arm and flipped him…my cue. Since that field of his would probably stop my swords, time to resort to Plan B.

"Dainamikku-Entorī!" My right foot connected painfully with Destro's chin and I grinned…but it soon faded when I suddenly felt Destro grab my foot….kuso…I soon found myself flying through the air and crashing painfully into the wall…or so I thought. I felt arms suddenly wrap around my waist and Stone hit the wall instead of me. "What the…Stone!"

He winced as he fell to one knee, his arms still around me. He managed to wink at me, however. "Oh don't worry about me, lass."

I glared at me. "I'm not exactly a damsel in distress that needs saving Stone!" A loud growl caused the argument to stop as we turned to see Destro getting ready to launch another salvo at us. "…get ready Stone, first chance you get, make a break for the Dragonhawk!" Before Stone could protest, I was back on my feet and charging Destro.

"Looks like the little bird has guts after all!" He launched them at me…but I was doing to give him a surprise. Concentrating, I grabbed onto one of the flying pieces of junk and threw it right back at him, along with several exploding tags attached to kunai. Destro's eyes widened with surprise as the explosion engulfed him, but I didn't hesitate. "Konoha Daisenpū!" POW! I let myself give a grin of satisfaction when I felt my kick connect with Destro's head, but flipped back to avoid a repeat f the earlier incident.

He was rubbing his head by the time the smoke cleared and glaring daggers at me. "Just what do you think you'll achieve with those pathetic moves of yours?"

I shoved my mask up and batted my eyelashes at him innocently. "Oh nothing…just buying time!" He gave me a blank look as I pointed behind him. He whipped around just in time to see Stone, sitting in the pilot's seat of the Dragonhawk smirk and wave at him.

"Smile!" Destro's eyes got as big as saucers as he saw the Dragonhawk's railgun point right at him and unleash a vicious salvo of laser fire. He was mostly protected from it thanks to his field, but the powerful blasts soon drove him backwards right into a debris pile and he was obscured by small explosions.

I power leapt into the copilot seat and buckled in. "Think we'll make it?"

Stone was chuckling as he powered up the Dragonhawk. "Sure…with a spot of luck." That's when the missile decided to crash into the base with a tremendous explosion…uh oh…

**Stone's POV**

This would be one of those times that I would consider this fun…if it wasn't for the fact that if I made one mistake, Ranger and I would be cooked. I was reduced to basically using the Dragonhawk's missiles to blast through the doors and walls.

"Mou…Stone, could you cut it any closer?!" Ranger's teeth were grinding after a practically close call.

"I'll try." Ranger yelled something at me in Japanese, most likely a combination of obscenities. She suddenly stopped and focused her gaze ahead.

"…ummmm…Stone…isn't that the VAMP?" My gaze went a little lower to see that Ranger was right, the VAMP was currently trying to stay ahead of the explosions behind us…it would seem they did not heed Ranger's advice from earlier. "…oh great…and things go from bad to worse."

I ground my teeth; the VAMP wasn't fast enough to get out of here…not to mention there was debris blocking the way ahead. I hit the communicator. "Lads! Hold your speed steady!" My hands clenched over the controls trying to hold the Dragonhawk steady.

Ranger's fingers were moving furiously over the controls on her end. "Docking beam readied!"

I growled as I struggled to steady the Dragonhawk over the VAMP. "Steady…steady…" The display beeped as the target lock confirmed a lock. "Locked on!"

Long Range's voice sounded a tad bit relieved at the phrase. "Bueno!"

The Dragonhawk began its steady alignment as the docking beam guided the ship. "Stone…" Ranger's voice for once sounded a bit unsteady. "It's now or never!" Come on…come on…"All or nothing!"

The Dragonhawk shuddered as the VAMP finally as firmly docked. "Right, firing up the afterburners!" I punched in the commands and shoved the accelerator forward. "Let's go!"

**Hi-Tech's POV**

I watched as the Cobra base began exploding in a parody of a fireworks show. "…oh no…they didn't make it." I shut my eyes and shook my head, dammit, why did they have to go that far?!

Then Alexa's voice cut into my thoughts. "I've got radar contact!" Duke, who had been sitting behind me, shot upright.

Carlos cut in now. "Bearing mark eleven eight…from the hanger bay!"

"Look Hi-Tech, Duke! The Dragonhawk and the VAMP!" I rushed over to the main view screen and stared at the radar, sure enough, they were there.

"I don't believe!"

Carlos laughed. "That's Stone, always the last one to leave a party!"

Yeah! Then Alexa pointed. "There!" We watched as we now saw the Dragonhawk burst out from a cloud of smoke, VAMP firmly in tow. "I got a visual…they made it out!" A tiny window opened in the display showing the vehicle duo.

I rushed back a bit and commanded, "Activate communications link!" Four windows appeared, each showing the faces of those coming back, Firefly, Long Range, Ranger, and Stone.

Ranger had a grin on her face. "Yo, sorry to worry all of you, but we were a little caught up," she said as she gave a wave.

I was hopping up and down, at least mentally, with joy. "Alright! Yea…WHOA!" Unfortunately, my feet gave out on me and went tumbling to the floor. I grinned sheepishly up at them. "Yeah, guess I kinda got tripped up myself." Laughter rang out as the Dragonhawk and VAMP finally made it home.

_Later_

**Ranger's POV**

Ok, I had to admit, Stone cut it just a little TOO close with that last one. I was going to get him for that. After I had changed out of my uniform and was wearing my sleeping wear, which was basically a loose warm up suit, I marched over to his quarters and let myself in. I was just opening my mouth to demand to talk to him before I stopped and looked around. He wasn't in here…that's funny, where the heck could he…that's when my senses pointed me in one direction and I turned my head.

He was edging himself out of the bathroom that each of our quarters had, wearing…nothing but a towel. He looked semi-surprised at me standing at the door. My words got caught in my throat as I looked him over. My eyes traveled downwards, past his chiseled chest, rippling abdomen and…that's where the towel came in.

I could see the sly grin crossing his face as he crossed his arms. "Something I can help you with Ranger?" Oh curse him…his brown hair was still wet and locks of it were plastered against his forehead. His eye patch was off, revealing the long scar that ran across his left eye and the gray of his bionic one. Scars were concentrated on the left shoulder, where metal met flesh. There were other scars traced over his body, evidence of a long and hazardous career. But to me…he was probably the most handsome looking guy on the whole planet as far as I was concerned. No, I came here for yell at him, not ogle at him!

I coughed, trying to regain my composure, but being only moderately successful as I could feel the heat rising in my face. "I was…uh…" Oh no, he was edging closer now. "Wanted to talk to you about…" Stone was now in front of me, barely a hand's width from me…I could smell the delicate scent of whatever soap he had used. "I…uh…" Ok, I admit it, my words were failing me completely, but I wasn't going to let that go without a fight. "…" So much for that…

He was leaning toward me now, his face hovering mere centimeters from mine; I could feel his breath on my face. "You'll have to speak more clearly love…" His tone was teasing and seductive. That did it, screw this…I practically leapt on him, crushing his lips against mine as one hand entwined itself in his hair, the other around his neck, while my legs were firmly wrapped around his waist. His left arm supported me while his right hand slid under my shirt and began traveling upwards. Our tongues dueled for a bit before our kiss broke. "Feeling feisty are we?" I gave him the biggest grin and nuzzled my nose against his. And…well, things kind of went from there…so much for a talk…oh well. There was always tomorrow after all.

* * *

Ok...I got lucky, I'm on spring break and my brain decided to cooperate and I manage to squeeze this chapter out. :P Anyways, enjoy...but after this, expect some long pauses between the chapters because I'm going to be busy. 


	9. Showdown

Ch.9

**Hi-Tech's POV  
**"Ok alright, that should do it! Man, snake central is for quite a shock when they see my robot hound and bat jacker!" I was adding the finally touches and was so intent on it…I didn't even hear the door hiss open until I heard a voice near and I finally looked up to see Scarlett with an annoyed look on her face and her hands on her hips.

"Hello? Earth to Hi-Tech, you missed a meeting!" Oops…

"Another one?"

Scarlett shook her head. "Yes another one! And that makes two meetings in two days! Even Ranger with her disappearing acts still manages to show up for meetings!" Argh…

"Are you kidding me?! Wow…I guess I worked all night…"

Scarlett walked closer to get a better view of what I was working. "So what's with the vampire hours?"

I gave a grin and patted my project. "It's all because of this baby here." But what Scarlett said next shattered my ego…

"It looks like a toaster if you ask me." WHAT?! "Well, either that or some kind of vacuum cleaner." She turned to walk away. "Inventing toys is ok except when you're missing meetings." Without another word she left, leaving me gaping at her. She did not just…ARGH!

"Looks like a toaster…" Funny, I had a weird feeling that someone was in my position right about now…but I was too annoyed to care. "Just you wait and see…all I need is one chance…I'll show them!"

**Duke's POV  
**"Duke, we've completed our sweep…but there's no sign of cobra anywhere." Scarlett's report came in from her mission with Snake-eyes and his apprentices. "It's weird, it's like they went on vacation or something."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Keep looking…they're out there somewhere." I sighed as my crossed my arms. "You got anything Hi-Tech?" There was a long pause…and no answer. Huh? I turned around to see Hi-Tech at his station, head dropped slightly…no he wasn't…"HI-TECH! You weren't just nodding off were you?!"

Instantly, our resident geek's head immediately swung up and he turned around to give me a sheepish grin. "Uh…NO! I was just thinking and uh…monitoring the air traffic and stuff…" Suddenly he paused. "Hang on, check it out, I found a possible ion trail…" I could hear him typing on his keyboard. "It could be from a cloaked Cobra ship. And look, it was headed here…"

When I looked at the screen…"The Central Museum?"

"The museum is doing research on nano-technology, it's just the kind of thing Cobra would be after."



Hmmm…"Well, a field trip sounds like fun." When I gathered the team up, Ranger declined saying she felt that at least one experienced person should stay behind in case something went wrong. I had to agree, and Stone vouched her her…as he seems to do a lot. I wonder if there's something between these two. Well, then it was me, Stone, Firefly, Heavy Duty, Tunnel Rat, Long Range, and Spirit off on this mission.

**Spirit's POV  
**When we arrived at the museum…things were quiet…too quiet. Duke looked around the huge hallway that we had entered. "Man, this place is big. Really big…we'll have to split to cover it." He divided us up. "Move out and stay alert." I ended up being with being Heavy Duty, Long Range, and Firefly.

When we met up again, all of us had no results from our searches. But Heavy Duty pointed out there was one area we hadn't checked out yet, the Virtual Theater. I had a really bad feeling about this…and Tunnel Rat being who he is…he rushed in first. I noticed Duke staying behind for a moment and eyeing the theater, I knew he probably had the same suspicions.

**Hi-Tech's POV  
**Man I was having such a nice dream…when suddenly I felt powerful hands shake me violently. "Dammit Hi-Tech, wake up! Can't you hear that damn alarm?!" My eyes snapped open to meet Ranger's annoyed glare. "Something's wrong!" I turned my bleary eyes up to the screen."

"You know, there really should be a snooze button on this thing…" as my vision cleared, my drowsiness disappeared instantly. "Huh?! OH NO!"

Ranger looked dumbstruck. "What…WHAT?! What's wrong dammit?!"

"Talk about a rude awakening…" I slammed the communicator button. "Duke! Come in! There's a huge power surge at your location! Duke?" Shit! The radio was jammed!

Ranger clenched her fists where I could actually hear her gloves creak. "If I didn't know any better…they just walked into a trap!" She whirled on me. "What are we going to do?!"

Dammit…dammit! I should have been watching their backs…but instead I was sleeping! I turned to Ranger. "We don't have a choice, we have to go in."

Ranger grinned, a frightening grin which made her look like a predator ready for the hunt. "Finally, here I thought you were only good at sitting here and being the resident lab rat." She grabbed me and yanked me down the hall, damn she was strong! "Let's get you suited and go already! And maybe you can test out those new toys of yours." Before I knew it, we were taking the Rhino copter to the location. But I had to wonder…did Ranger know something like this was going to happen and stayed behind?

**Spirit's POV  
**Heavy Duty looked annoyed as we explored the empty theater. "Looks like this virtual theater is virtually nothing!" And just as he said that…suddenly all the lights came on! What the?! Then all I saw and heard for a good long while was flashing lights and the yells of my comrades.

"It's a trap!" Duke was suddenly cut off and that was never a good sign.



Suddenly, I sensed movement and I saw something flying right at my face! "NO!" I managed to swing my staff and deflect whatever it was, but when my vision fully cleared, I was treated to the sight of everyone on the ground with those devices strapped to their faces!

"Duke…Tunnel Rat…Heavy Duty?" No response. That's when I heard sickeningly familiar laughter coming from above me. "Destro…"

He gave me a confident smirk. "Don't worry; you'll join your friends soon."

I notched my bow and aimed straight at him. "Tell me…what have you done to them!"

"I have done absolutely nothing at all…" His grin grew wider. "Only taken their brains!"

What?! "How?!"

"Just like this." He suddenly shot his arm out. "Sigma 6! Arise my minions…" What…suddenly I could hear movement behind me and I whipped my head around to watch as everyone got off the floor. No…"So what do you think of my new invention? I call it the Cobra brain ripper, a simple neural implant. But once activated, it puts any human subject under MY complete control."

I could only watched as the devices unlatched from their facings, only leaving behind the implant in their foreheads. My friend's eyes were blank and glowing a sinister red. I knew I was in trouble. I could only turn my frustration on one person. "You'll pay for this!" I pulled my bow back and latched one right at Destro, but to my horror, I watched as Duke intercepted it. "Duke? Impossible…" I turned to escape, but the doors were locked and I was trapped against a wall.

"You can't escape Spirit. Your time has come to join Cobra. Now my minions, your target is Spirit...TAKE HIM DOWN!" I could only notch my bow, but I couldn't bring myself to fire upon my own friends. "Bring him to me now!"

That's when they opened fire, a barrage of it. I was blasted right through the wall. "I need a way out of this place…" What?! NO! Suddenly I felt that implant hit my face…and I knew no more.

**Hi-Tech's POV  
**When we landed, I was still clumsily trying to climb over the fence that Ranger had scaled in one leap. "Come on Tech, our friends could be huge trouble right now."

"Well excuse me if I don't have MAD ninja skills like yOOOOOU!" OW! I had lost my grip on the fence and fallen flat on my face. I could hear Ranger's exasperated sigh as she grabbed my collar and hitched my back to my feet. My new hound had apparently found a door and was already next to me.

"Nice, maybe that's your mad ninja skills." She looked cautiously around as she put on her mask. "Stay close alright?" She had dashed off, with me following. When we were inside, I could see Ranger was very uneasy.

"If Cobra was here, they probably know that were here…but why haven't they acted yet." She had drawn out her longer blade and peered down the hallway.



That's when I got something. "Hang on, I got a reading." I flicked open my wrist communicator and looked it. "It's not human…and it's dead ahead." We heard footsteps approaching and who we saw both gave us a jolt. It was the other Sigmas! They were fine! "Hey guys…" Suddenly Ranger grabbed me and pulled me back.

"Wait, something's wrong." Then the others turned, we saw the red glow in their eyes and the implants in their heads. Oh…crap… We tried to turn back the way we came, but found our path blocked by the others. "Kuso…this way!" Before I could say anything, Ranger had already yanked me down another hallway just in time before where we had been standing was hit by laser fire. We could only run as laser fire zinged mere inches around us. Ranger flung me around a corner just as one of Heavy Duty's missiles nearly blew us to kingdom come.

The both of us could only peer around the corner at our advancing friends. "They've all got implants in their heads…some kind of mind control?" That's when I felt Hound prodding me pretty hard. "Stop it…I'm thinking!" But he wouldn't stop prodding, so I turned around. "Hound what is it, you got bugs in your…"

Ranger cut in. "No…he's talking about those." As she pointed down the hallway behind me, I yelped. It was a literal army of BATS heading right for us!

"No! You've got BATS!!" Ok think Hi-Tech, think! "Ok, launch your bat jacker at them…now!" Nothing happened and Ranger face palmed. Hound only turned to give me a confused look and beeped. "What do you mean what is that?! It's built it!" Hound's display only flashed two big question marks. "Ugh, do a system search! Remind me to test my new inventions…" My tirade was cut off as a red laser nearly took my face off. "Back in the lab…" Hound and Ranger both gave me sour glares as they hugged the walls to avoid the laser fire.

"Smooth lab rat smooth!" Ranger was nearly pelted by green laser fire this time and she chucked a smoke bomb down the hall to hopefully slow our mind controlled friends down.

"Ok now you got it." Hound got in position. "Right…let's do this…Hound…NOW!" Just as I pointed my finger, it got zapped by stray fire. YEOW! "Uh…I need to chill a minute…you go on without me." Hound shot me another sour look before getting ready. "Ok, lock onto the lead BAT. I watched as the grapple device shot out and latched onto a BAT's face. "Awesome! I'm hacking in!" I furiously typed out commands as I could hear Ranger behind me deflecting fire.

"Will you hurry up already?!"

"I'm trying! Beginning override…now!" Two small antenna shot up from the grapple and soon the entire BAT group was swashed in green electricity. It was working! I could see the BATs eyes turning green, indicating my program was getting in! "Hi-Tech, you are on total genius!" An annoyed beep interrupted me. "Uh...and his robotic sidekick too of course…YIKES!" Suddenly I felt Ranger tackle me and drag me into the room.

"Celebrate later! We have other problems remember!" She threw me into a safe area behind some crates as she drew out both swords and faced our friends.

"Oh…not good…well, it's time to get a grip on things." I ordered the BATs to hold down our friends, hopefully that would do something. Suddenly I could see a green glow forming under 

the BAT dog pile…or not, the BATs exploded into debris as my friends clearly weren't even phased by it.

Ranger growled. "Dammit Hi-Tech come up with something quick! I'll hold them off!" She deflected what laser fire they threw at her then charged Spirit and Tunnel Rat. With acrobatic grace, she jumped over them, grabbed Spirit by the arm and spun him into Tunnel Rat, sending them both flying into crates. "Got...ARGH!" She was suddenly grabbed round the neck by Duke in a sleeper hold, but again she flung her head back to land a solid head butt and grabbed his arm to throw him off of her. A spinning roundhouse sent Stone flying as he advanced and a back fist deterred Heavy Duty. A leg sweep knocked Firefly off and a kick send him careening into Duke who had been trying to get back up. Damn…she was good.

Of course, she had forgotten when she deflected the laser fire, some it went right at me! I dodged like crazy before toppling off the crate I had been standing was destroyed by Ranger throwing Long Range into it and I fell off in a heap. "Great…finished off by my friends…" Ranger suddenly gave a cry as one of Stone's shots found its mark on her arm and Long Range's took out a leg.

"Shit! Hi-Tech!" The moment of distraction was enough for Heavy Duty to sneak up on her and apply a powerful choke hold on her. I could see her struggling, but there was no way she was getting out of that grip, not when everyone dog piled on top of her. I could almost hear her bones creaking in protest. "Do…some…thing!"

"Dammit…so much for my bat jacker…" Hey…wait a sec…those implants. "That's it! They're brains have been jacked into!" I could hear Ranger's gasps for air as she was slowly being crushed by the mob. "Now Hound…jack them back!" Hound gave me a startled look. "It's our only chance!" I shoved down my goggles. "Lock onto Duke and fire!" Hound started to protest…"just do it Hound NOW!" With a beep of acknowledgement Hound launched the grapple and it latched squarely on Duke's head. Duke reared back off of Ranger as she started reaching for the grapple. I wasn't going to give him the chance. "Nice, overriding now!" Now it was my friends being zapped by the green energy as they all reared off of Ranger and gave yells of pain. The implants sizzled before falling right off and with a collective groan, they all collapsed.

I rushed over to Ranger first. "Hey you ok?"

Ranger pushed up the mask and gave me a weak grin plus thumbs up. "Remind me to tell everyone to maybe shed a few pounds…" She managed to get up in a sitting position.

I then checked on the others, but according to a brain scan, they were fine. "Phews…they're ok. But I bet they're going to have quite the…" Then Ranger's leg suddenly kicked out and knocked me away. "Hey! What…!" A huge explosion cut off my protest as Ranger was knocked right into a wall. That's makes three times she'd saved me now, and this time, she was out cold.

I turned around only to behold one of Cobra's huge robots, the Mantis! And Destro was at the controls! "You've run out of tricks Hi-Tech, it's time we finished our little game."

Uh…"HOUND RUN!" We dashed like madmen behind some crate for cover with Mantis just missing us with its claws.



"Tear this place apart! Find them and destroy them now!" I could hear the Mantis's lasers ripping through the crates; I only hoped it didn't hit the others.

"Uh…this is going well…NOT! Got any ideas Hound?" In answer, Hound opened up on of his compartments, revealing the parts for my plasma rifle. Alright…I soon had it assembled and powered up. I rushed out and took aim at the Mantis. "Hey! Remember me?"

"What?!" The rifle went off alright, and had such powerful recoil my aim went bad I only hit the Mantis's arm, disintegrating it. Destro laughed. "Looks like you missed!"

"Really? Whatever gave you that idea?" I picked myself off the floor, rifle in hand.

"You made your last move…now it's MY turn!" Before the Mantis's good claw could crash down on me, Hound came swinging in and pulled me to safety.

"Yea! I've just began to make my move!" As I landed, it was awkward and the rifle ending up clonking me right on the head then dragging me off the crate again. Yea…smooth…but that probably saved me as missiles struck where I had just been standing. I was behind the Mantis as it futilely searched where I had been. "Only going to get one shot with this…alright Hound, get into position and get ready!" I cocked the rifle. "You know what to do!" A beep answered me as Hound scurried off. "Destro!"

The huge robot turned. "Let's see you invent your way out of this!"

"Yea? No problem!" We were having the classic face down, then the Mantis charged!

"HOUND NOW!" I watched my faithful new toy swing down suddenly and latch onto the cockpit of the Mantis. Wires shot out and hooked themselves and now the show was gonna end!

"What is this?!" I smirked, time to turn the tables.

"It's my new invention! The BAT jacker!" I could see the systems of the Mantis freeze up as my program took over. "Now it's time to finish this!" Hound unlatched as the Mantis reeled back. "Good night!" One blast from the rifle hit dead center and blew the Mantis right out of the building. Then it was just darkness…

I felt a prodding on my head and I managed to force my eyes to open, and right into Hound's concerned display. Then it all came back. "Hound! We did it! You're my coolest invention…" I had to hug the little guy. "And now, you're my new best friend too!"

"So…what does that make us?" I shot my head up, could it? "Wot's the deal?" Yes it was! "Yea what gives?"

"Uh…" I turned around to see my revived friends standing behind me. "Hey guys…"

Spirit nodded at me. "Thanks for saving us from Destro's plan my friend."

Firefly gave me a cocky grin. "You did great man."



It was Duke who spoke last. "Yea, you dented up metal real good, now let's get outta this place." He offered me his hand and I took it. Oh yea I felt…wait a sec, where was…

A loud crash caused everyone to spin around weapons drawn, but it was only Ranger who had kicked a crate off herself and was standing, favoring her arm and leg.

"Hey lab rat, next time, try to pay attention next time so I can stop taking bullets for you." I was a little miffed, but before I could really say anything, Ranger's legs buckled from underneath her. It was Stone who caught her and lent her support to stand upright by looping one of her arms around his shoulders and one his arms around her waist. "Oomph, thanks. Oh…by the way…" She now focused a glare on Heavy Duty. "Hey big guy, try laying off the cheeseburgers for a bit ok? I swear, you weighed more than these other guys combined."

"SAY WHAT?! You saying something 'bout me?!" Ranger waved him off.

I grinned sheepishly. "Well, if I wasn't staying up all night…I might have seen this a lot sooner…"

Heavy Duty turned his scowl away from Ranger. "Ah man, don't lose any sleep over it!"

"What are you talking about? I already have!" Everyone, minus me and Heavy Duty, burst out in laughter.

"Wait, I don't get it! What are you talking about?!" As the others turned to leave, I was trying to explain to Heavy Duty.

"Well, I was staying up all night working on the Hound, that my brilliant new robot invention. It has a BAT jacker interface and…" That's when Heavy Duty turned to follow the others. "Hey…HEY! Where are you going? Oh come on guys! It's really interesting!"

**Ranger's POV  
**I was currently in Stone's quarters as he carefully wrapped the bandages around my shoulder and leg where the suit hadn't fully protected me from flying debris and stuff. "OW! Stone, be careful, that hurts!"

He gave me an apologetic look and a kiss. "Sorry dear." His face suddenly grew dark. "Listen, Ranger, I'm sorry…"

I cut him off. "Sorry for what, you weren't in your right mind…literally. I can't blame you for something you really didn't do."

He heaved a sigh. "I know…but." I cut him off again, this time a little more forcefully and with my lips.

"But nothing, you weren't responsible, it was the idiot Destro. Now stop frowning, you don't look so good when you frown." His face grew lighter. "However…" Now it was surprised. "You COULD always try to make it up to me somehow." I gave him a subtle wink.

He slowly grinned and pulled me close. "Oh I'm sure I can find something…to make you feel better," he growled as his lips moved down my bare neck to my shoulder. I only wrapped my 

arms around his neck as he pushed me down. I had to admit; there were some very nice perks to this new life of mine…

* * *

Well, surprised? I actually managed to squeeze on out! :D There might be a few mistakes in there, just tell me and I'll fix them up ASAP. Enjoy and sorry for the long wait. My real life issues had been draining away my creative energy. Please leave a review!

Edit: Aw come on guys, 8 alerts and only 1 of you reviews, and 1 new person? Where are all the reviews?


	10. Training

Ch.10

**Ranger's POV  
**You know when you get that feeling that something really weird was going to happen today? I had that feeling before I saw Hi-Tech rush by me with this look on his face that spelled trouble. That, combined with the ruckus I heard coming from the mess hall, only added to my gut feeling. All my common sense told me NOT to go there…but heck, curiosity is not a sin and it was telling me to check it out. As I made my way to the door, I was treated to a bizarre sight. Heavy Duty and Tunnel Rat were going head to head in an all out, of all things, hamburger eating contest. I had no idea how people even appealed to eating the greasy excuse for food, but there they were. "What by all laws of sanity is going on?" I looked to Kamakura and Jinx who appeared to be acting as referees to this…contest. I made my way into the mess hall and took a spot near Kamakura.

Jinx shrugged. "They asked us to judge." She was about to say more, but Tunnel Rat said something that perked my interest.

"Not so fast my heavy friend. The winner of this contest should get more than a full stomach." Uh oh…that didn't sound good. "Now, let's make this more interesting." He gave a cocky grin.

Heavy Duty leaned forward with an equally smug look. "Hold on! Lemme get this straight! First I get to take you down, and then I get to take your money too?"

Tunnel Rat leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest. You'll see!"

"Name your terms!" I heard the door hiss open again as Duke, Scarlett, and Hi-Tech appeared.

"You see?" Hi-Tech paused as he took in the scene. "Uh…"

Duke leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms. "Well, this should be fun."

Scarlett shook her head. "Yeah…in a really gross way."

Kamakura raised his hands in a peace making gesture. "Hey you guys, is money really all that cool?" There was a pause before he snapped his fingers. "I know, maybe the loser should do something as punishment." Like I didn't see that coming.

The two paused, before glaring at each other again. Heavy Duty snapped his fingers at Tunnel Rat. "A great idea! Now what would be the worst thing I could make you do?"

"It's probably the worst thing I could make YOU do!" I groaned inwardly, I think I could see where this was going.

"All right…lemme think…" Before Heavy Duty could probably mesh together his thoughts…

"Ok here it is I got it!" Tunnel Rat looked smug…"the loser…"

"Yeah…?" Tunnel Rat looked sideways to us three ninjas with a devious smile. Oh no…he wasn't going to...

"Will train with these guys and become a ninja!" There was a pregnant pause and a heartbeat.

"WHAT?" These two must have been thinking the same thing I was. Mental images of Tunnel Rat and Heavy Duty trying to do ninja training was…no words could describe it.

The two contesters exploded into laughter. Duke shook his head. "I think I've seen enough." Scarlett echoed his thoughts and left with him, with Hi-Tech tailing them. I was sorely tempted to follow them…but heck, I had to see who the hell I was going to be training…

"You ready Heavy Ninja?"

"As ready as I'll ever be…Ninja Rat!" Ooooh Kami, why did this have to be brought down upon me…a whistle from Cho started the contest. Now, I will not try to use words to describe what I was seeing, because it was just weird even to me. These two were chowing down on enough food to feed a squad. I mean, great gods, they were beginning to swell up like balloons! Finally, it was Heavy Duty in the lead with one, and Tunnel Rat had one last burger to down. I could see the strain in his face as he eyed the last burger. Just as he was about to choke it down…

"Here's round two!" Cho suddenly appeared with yet another tray piled high with burgers. It was the last straw for poor Tunnel Rat. His eyes went blank and he flopped over backwards.

Heavy raised his arms in triumph. "I'm the winner! Looks like you just got yourselves a new ninja rat! HAHA!"

I sighed. "Joy, either this will be interesting or end in disaster."

"Yea, ninja rat…with a super sized humongous stomach ache…" Tunnel Rat was helped to his feet by his triumph foe.

"You know, you almost had me bro, you did good!"

"Thanks dude, you got the heart of a champion…and the stomach power to go along with it too!"

"Are you really gonna do this? Heh heh, you a ninja! Its gonna be real hard work!" I had to give a tiny smirk. Oh yes, this was going to be VERY interesting.

**Kamakura's POV  
**I'm not sure how we were talking into doing this, but well…a bet's a bet. I found myself in the portable cargo bay of the Dragonhawk with Jinx, my sensei Snake-Eyes, Tunnel Rat, and the ever enigmatic Ranger.

"Attention all ninjas and trainee dudes, we've arrived at our lovely destination hope you enjoy your stay." Firefly's voice cut over the viewscreen and if it was possible, Tunnel Rat's expression was even more apprehensive.

"Yea…I hope so." Ranger reached over and clapped him gently over the shoulder.

"Cheer up, trust me, we're not going let anything happen to you." I felt my stomach rise up a bit as the container dropped and a bone rattling thud as it hit the ground. The sides fell away as we headed off into the jungle on our craft, with sensei steering.

"Cool, is that where my training happens?" Tunnel Rat was looking at the Mayan temple looming above the trees ahead of us.

Jinx nodded. "Yes, in those ancient ruins. It's the tomb of a king that once ruled over this entire place. Its filled with all kinds of valuable stuff, so we have to be very careful."

"Valuable…as in TREASURE?"

Uh oh, better put a lid on him before he got any ideas. "Yes, and to protect it from grave robbers he put traps everywhere!"

Jinx helped to reinforce my words. "So don't get any ideas…OR sticky fingers!"

Tunnel Rat put an innocent face on. "Who me? Come on…!"

Ranger had said nothing, her gaze fixed on the departing Dragonhawk. I had to admit, I was looking forward to this. I had not seen Ranger in full action before, only hearing stuff from the others talking. This was going to be an interesting training session.

**Tunnel Rat's POV  
**Somehow, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had gotten myself in WAY over my head. Were already heading deep in the ruins and I seemed to be only one being totally nervous about this. "Wow, sure is spooky in here…"

Jinx turned to face me. "It gets a lot spookier." Ranger, having decided to leave her mask behind, seem to be trying very hard not to burst out snickering. The only sign of it was the twitching of the corners of her lips.

"Hey! No problem! I can handle spooky." Suddenly I felt something grab me by the back of the neck. "ARGH!"

That's when I heard Ranger full on snickering and realized it had been just her. "Sure, I can completely see that you can handle it."

"That's not funny!" Ranger turned her green eyes toward me and she gave me a look that could have frozen magma over.

"Trust me Tunnel Rat; its better to admit your weaknesses then put on an ego fueled brave face." Was she giving me some of advice? "I've seen plenty with that attitude…and trust me, they don't last long."

That's when Snake-Eyes lit a brazier full of oil and the entire room and more lit up as the fire burned along trails in the walls. "Whoa…a nice touch."

"Alright, here we are," said Jinx as she moved forward with Kamakura. "You ready you two?" Kamakura rubbed his hands together. "Initiation time," he said.

Ranger looked nonchalant; she probably wasn't even taking this seriously. "I hardly need an initiation gakis." I noticed the two apprentices bristle at the last world.

Kamakura recovered first then handed me and Ranger something. "This is a map of the ruins, just in case you get lost."

Ranger was carefully looking over the map. "Hmmmm…impressive design."

I laughed. "Yea…like that's ever gonna happen."

Jinxed frowned at me as the four of us were moving ahead. "This is serious Tunnel Rat! These traps mean business and you could end up getting hurt…or worse."

Kamakura chimed in. "Jinx is right, you have to fast, tough, and possess a will of iron Tunnel Rat to make it through."

"Well…uh, the only thing iron on me is…well…my stomach." Ranger groaned.

"As your demonstrated back at the Sea Titan." She had folded up her map and placed it in one of her pouches. She then turned back to Snake-Eyes. "Guess you'll be patrolling outside?" She got a nod in confirmation and he turned and left. "Good…" She had turned back to face us and only now did I start to figure that her cynic nature was merely a mask to hide a far more serious side…"Let's get started shall we?

**Jinx's POV  
**When the stone doors slid open, I knew this was going to be interesting. "This is your first test." We had entered a large chamber, lined with torches. The center of the room had a shallow pit, with an island at the center, painted with red lines and the center green. "Get to the other side of the room without setting too many traps."

Ranger was carefully looking around, no doubt noting the position of the hidden niches that fired. In my opinion, she was looking way too calm for all of this. Tunnel Rat was looking around too, but a lot more uneasily. "But…how do I know where the traps are?"

Kamakura answered that one for him. "Check this." He suddenly sped off, flipping toward the center of the room, landing SQUARELY on the yellow square that was the trigger for the trap, before gracefully backflipping. The holes at the sides of the room set off, firing a barrage of lasers at him, but he dodged them easily before landing in a half kneel at the other side of the room.

Tunnel Rat was clearly impressed, Ranger wasn't. "Whoa! Wow dude, that was awesome!" Ranger merely crossed her arms. Kamakura merely rubbed at his nose and gave his thanks. "I'm nex-"

Now, it was my turn. "Not yet!" I leapt forward and shot out my sword, tied around the handle was one of the bandages that I wrapped around my wrist. Using my momentum and the sword embedded in the ceiling, I easily swung across the length of the room, avoiding the trigger all together before landing next to Kamakura. I gave one swift yank and resheathed my sword.

Tunnel Rat was beside himself…again Ranger showed little interest. "Aw man that was so cool." Suddenly he whipped around to look at Ranger. "What about you?"

Ranger sighed. "That depends, you want me to do this in the fastest manner possible, or do you really want me to do something." I was miffed, she was not taking this seriously.

"Aw come on Ranger, let's see some of your mad skills!"

She finally relented with a sigh. "Fine…" Suddenly, she was gone. What? I felt Kamakura tugged on my arm and pointed up. Ranger was currently actually perched on the ceiling…with just her feet! She calmly walked, upside down with no visible aids from what I could tell, before stopping right above the trigger for the trap. Then she simply dropped! We could only watched in open mouth amazement as she landed right on the trigger then was jumping from pillar, wall, and pillar effortlessly avoiding all the laser blasts before doing a powerful jump forward. She spun around a few times before landing right behind me and Kamakura, dusting her hands off. "Good enough for you?"

"You…what…how?" Kamakura was gaping.

Ranger gave a peace sign. "Trade secret." She then turned back to look at Tunnel Rat. "Your turn, let's see if you can back up what you say you can do!"

Tunnel Rat still looked really confident…I had a bad feeling about this. "Alright here I come!' And he simply charged right towards us! Oh no…he gave a small jump thinking he had done it…except he had landed on the trigger. Kamakura summed it up in one phrase.

"Uh oh…not good…" We could only watch as the trap went off and Tunnel Rat went running and dodging for his dear life. "It's like a train wreck…"

I only nodded dumbly. "You can't take your eyes off it…" Surprisingly enough, or by sheer dumb luck, Tunnel Rat was avoiding almost all the lasers…except for the one that clipped him dead center on the behind. He gave a yowl and charged past us, narrowly missing Ranger, and slammed right in the next set of doors. He peeled backwards off of them and fell flat on his back as they opened.

"You idiot, you never charge into a room like this! You were even paying attention at where the trigger for the trap was?" Ranger roughly grabbed by the collar of his Sigma suit and hauled him upright. He couldn't answer, judging by the fact that I think he was still stunned with his sudden meeting of face meet door.

Kamakura shook his head. "Well…he did it…not much for style…but he did it." Ranger groaned and face palmed.

In the next room, Tunnel Rat had recovered…along with his eagerness. He had almost charged into the room before I stopped him. "Whoa! Not so fast, there are traps in this room too."

Kamakura walked forward. "Yea…watch this." He merely tapped a foot and the entire floor cracked and splintered, leaving only a gaping chasm with shallow water dotted with pillars.

"Uh well…I dunno about you, but I'm floored…" He received a bonk on the head from Ranger.

"Be serious, this could get dangerous and you're not a ninja yet."

I tried to reassure him…even after we told him that once you fell down, there was no way back up. "Just follow our lead and you'll be fine." Before he could answer, Kamakura and I were already leaping from pillar to pillar, and had soon already made it across. "Come on Tunnel Rat, anytime today!"

He was quivering now and giving Ranger a nervous look. Her face was expressionless as she stared across the chasm. "Don't look at me; you did lose a bet fair and square. Besides, a real ninja can do this…"

"Yea well, I'm just a guy who lost a burger eating contest!" She shook her head as she propelled herself, again with ease, across the chasm and next to us.

"You call this your initiation test? A mere child of the academy back home would past this with ease." An academy? She had a ninja academy where she came from? Just who and where did Ranger come from? She turned and shouted back at Tunnel Rat. "Fine, just stay there! We'll probably have to circle around and get from the front entrance. In the meantime, STAY OUT OF TROUBLE!" The three of us had no choice but to move on and leave Tunnel Rat behind, hopefully, he would follow Ranger's advice.

**Tunnel Rat's POV  
**Aw man, how did I get myself into this…I was now stuck in a room as the three ninjas had moved ahead. I thought maybe I could try going back the way I came, but just as I was making my way back towards the door, I saw something. There was little brown square of stone, slightly elevated above the floor. "Hello, what does this do?" I pushed it and heard a loud grinding noise to my right. As I looked over, I saw a round section of the wall roll away, revealing a secret tunnel! I went immediately over to explore it. Hmmm, I pulled out my map. "Hm, it's not on the map…let's see. The outside chamber is about 100 feet…and this passage is here so this could mean only one thing…it was built by the king to get by all these traps!" I snagged a spider that had just lowered near my and popped it into my mouth. Mmm, taste good. Haha! Who needs a map and a tunnel when you're Tunnel rat!

**Ranger's POV  
**Finally, things were getting interesting. In the next room, there were multiple pillars rapidly moving up and down. The three of us had to jump quickly from one to the other and keep out balance. By the time we got to the other side, the other two had finally realized that Tunnel Rat had not followed us.

Jinx looked worried. "You don't think he…"

Kamakura shook his head. "Naw, he probably just went back the way we came."

"I hope you're right, I'm getting really worried now." I shook my head.

"That guy should have known he was getting in over his head, not everyone can be a shinobi." The two of them were looking at me now.

"Ranger, where the heck do you come from anyway? You have skills I've never seen before, even in our sensei!"

I gave a tight grin. "Sorry, but that information is classified. You want to know, you'll have to earn it from me. Again, I'm going to test you two at some point in the future and we'll see if you are worthy." The two of them looked chestfallen and I had to smirk inwardly. These guys reminded me of the genin back home, full of eagerness, but not yet seeing the true atrocities of battle. "Look, I swear on my honor that I will tell you at some point alright?" The two of them still looked a little disappointed, but at least they didn't as bad as they did before. "Now come on, we still have a rat to pull outta here."

**Tunnel Rat's POV  
**I was examining the diagrams and equations I had etched out on the floor in front of me. Judging by my findings, this tunnel should lead straight through the ruins! Alright! I was a regular genius and once I got out of here…I was going to be a ninja too! I gleefully set off running down the tunnel, wait til the guys get a load of me now!

**Kamakura's POV  
**The next room we had to go through was armed with razor sharp pikes that jabbed at us from the walls and we had to maneuver carefully through them else we find out what a piece of meat on a kebob felt like. Next was swinging razor blades, again we had to make it through those too. Ranger was doing everything with calm ease, somehow I got the feeling that she had mastered these kinds of basics at a very young age and now they were simply instinct on her part. Considering that she was probably around sensei's age and a good several years our senior, it was very feasible. The third room we went through had us narrowly avoiding a large rock that would have flattened us if not for our quick reflexes.

I looked back. "There's no way he could have made it through these all by himself."

Jinx agreed. "We shouldn't have left him behind!" Suddenly we heard the sharp sound of blades being drawn and we gaped at Ranger who had drawn both her long swords and was glaring toward the door at the end of the hall. That's when we heard the clapping and a figure appeared from the gloom. It was Baroness!

"You've done well…but this is one trap you WON'T make it through!" We watched as multiple Baroness showed up, must have been some kind of hologram system.

I drew out my jian. "Yea? Nice trick, but you're still out numbered."

The Baroness simply chuckled and shook her head. "You think so huh? Let me see if I can…even the odds a little bit." Suddenly from behind her, we watched as three dark figures appeared…and they looked like BATs! But the design was different; they were leaner and sleeker with wicked blades attached to their arms.

Jinx had her sword drawn. "That won't save you Baroness!" I charged and swung my weapon at Baroness, but it went right through! It was just a hologram!

She gave an evil smile. "We shall see." As she said that, the BATs charged right for us.

Ranger was dead calm still as we each faced off one BAT for ourselves. I managed to deflect the attack of mine and took a few shots at it, but when it fell, it merely got up again and attacked. Jinx tried throwing shurikens at hers, but it easily deflected them and went for her. "Looks like these are a new model, impressive Baroness. But fake ninjas are no match for real ones!" Ranger was clashing, blade for blade, with deadly skill with her opponent.

"These new ninja BATs have carbon plating." Well, that explained their toughness.

"Looks like the odds just got a little worse…"Jinx was right…this wasn't looking good. But suddenly everyone was surprised to hear a chuckle, and we all turned to face Ranger. She was still laughing as she suddenly changed her stance. Now she had one sword behind her, the blade edge facing away from her at a horizontal position. The same was with her other sword, making a formation similar to a shuriken. "Carbon plating, impressive indeed Baroness. But I told you, fake ninjas are nothing compared to real ones."

Before anyone could respond, suddenly we heard a familiar voice behind us. 'Hey guys!" We jumped and whipped around to see Tunnel Rat poking out of a hole…with a crown on his head.

"Tunnel Rat?"

He smirked at us. 'It's KING Tunnel Rat to you!"

"Forget about that now! We have a bigger problem!" Tunnel Rat finally noticed the BATs and the Baroness in front of us.

Baroness was laughing her head off. "So, another Sigma fool stumbles right into my trap…" She suddenly stopped, as Tunnel Rat swindled up behind us.

"You may be a Baroness, but I'm a king!"

Jinx was annoyed. "Tunnel Rat, what are you doing? You are just going to make things worse!"

He still looked confident as he faced down the Baroness. "Hey Baroness!"

She looked surprised. "What? This better be good! Speak up!" What…

"It's good…its treasssure! And I know where it is!" He held up a hand, showing off the numerous rings he was currently wearing on his fingers. He was clearly enjoying this. "You want to make a deal?"

The Baroness's eyes got all shiny and she clasped her hands together. "Oh my…where is…tell me!"

"Ok…but first let us go!" He then stuck his tongue out at her. Now, she looked furious.

"No! You see, Cobra always takes what it wants! Ninja BATs, destroy them right now!" Well, so much for that.

Tunnel Rat gave a yelp. "Well, that went well! EYAH!" He dived back into the tunnel he had come from as the three of us fending off our attackers. We weren't aware of Baroness reappearing at the mouth of the tunnel and secretly following Tunnel Rat.

**Tunnel Rat's POV  
**I was having way too much fun. I could hear Baroness attempting to find me in the dark tunnel I had lead her through…just a little further.

"That Sigma fool cannot hide from me for too long…" Then I heard her fire down a hall, thinking she had heard me, WRONG!

I popped out of a small window that was hidden by a hinged wall. "EEEEH! Wrong! Want to try again?" I popped back just in time to avoid being nailed by her pistol. I reappeared above her this time. "Missed me! Again?" I waved the map at her. "I have a map to all the traps and now you're in one!"

Baroness ground her teeth in suppressed rage. "You little rat…I'm not going to stand for another one of your tricks!' She swung her weapon up at me.

I gave her a grin. "Stand for one…you're standing in one!" I tapped the trigger just above me and watched in glee at the Baroness's surprised face as she dropped through the floor and into a flooded tunnel beneath her. I could hear her yell my name and fading as the waters swept her down. I had to give her one parting word. "That's KING Tunnel Rat!" I waved as I watched her disappear into the darkness.

**Jinx's POV  
**This wasn't good, Kamakura and I were having some trouble with the new BATs. Ranger just seemed to be toying with hers; we had also noticed her blades had taken on a blue tinge, earlier, she we had heard her say kami tou(1) and both her swords had taken on that aura. We each finally managed to pierce the armor of our BATs, unfortunately our weapons broke in half from the effort, just in time to watch as Ranger literally shredded hers in ribbons. Her swords had cut right through its armor like it was nothing! This woman had a whole lot of secrets and tricks up her sleeves…

We later met up with sensei and were now trying to figure out where Tunnel Rat had gone too…"I'm picking up Tunnel Rat's signal…around here someplace."

Kamakura looked around. "Yea…but where?" We heard some slide overhead and watched as Tunnel Rat's head popped through.

"Head's up guys!" He was looking cheeky about something. We also noticed he wasn't wearing any of the treasure he had earlier.

"What happened to your crown Tunnel Rat…"

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Well…I uh…kinda lost it!"

I smirked." And the rings too? Well, that's what a real ninja would do. Right sensei?" Snake-Eyes nodded as Tunnel Rat turned to face him.

"Ninjas don't take anything right?" He got another nod. "So I passed? I'm a ninja? ALRIGHT! I did it I did it I did it!"

I had to burst his bubble. "That was just the initiation. Now you have a whole lifetime of training to begin." We all began walking towards the exit. "And…Ranger, I guess you really are a ninja, even if you're really different from the rest of us." I only received an slight smile from her.

"Tunnel Rat the ninja…I like the sound of that!" He was chanting that for awhile before Kamakura shushed him.

"Ninjas are SUPPOSED to be quiet!"

I ground my teeth. "And not annoy the other ninjas!"

"…isn't it supposed to be King Tunnel Rat?"

"DON'T REMIND HIM!"

"Oh that's right! King Tunnel Rat the Ninja!" A huge collective groan from all of us…yea, it was just like a train wreck.

**Stone's POV  
**I knew something like this was going to happen. Currently, Ranger and I were sitting in the empty mess hall, most of the others were already asleep and it was just the two of us. Ranger was nursing a cup of herbal tea as she told me her suspicions.

"Cobra couldn't have known about the training exercise Stone, not unless someone from the inside told them!" She took a sip. "That's the only way they could have known about it."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I knew it, my suspicions are confirmed. Someone onboard this vessel is a spy." Ranger choked and set her cup down a little bit too strongly, causing some of the liquid to spill out and she cursed as she felt the hot liquid splash onto her hand. "And before you ask, yes, Duke and I have suspected for sometime."

"You knew? And you said nothing?" She gave me a furious look, green eyes blazing with indignation. I quickly waved my hand to hush her before she could give me an earful.

"Sssh! It was just a suspicion, I had no solid proof! First the computer virus, then the Dragonhawk being stolen…now this." I said again, as I ran my hand through my hair and readjusted my beret. "And I have a strong suspicion of who it is."

Ranger frowned as she flicked the tea off her hands." It can't be one of the regulars of the Sigma team, the troubles only started when…" Realization dawned on her face. "No…it couldn't be…but…"

I gave her a look. "It can only be him…but again, we have no proof. We can only try to keep an eye on him and hopefully catch him in the act."

Ranger looked at me suspiciously. "And you never suspected me? For all you know, I could be a traitor."

I had expected this and gave her an easy smile. "Except the incidents that occur, you were either with me or I knew where you were. That cut you out as a suspect from the beginning." She looked troubled for a minute, but gave me a warm smile.

"Glad to hear I have someone on my side." She gave me another serious look. "Look Stone about our relationship…" She turned her head away. "Funny on how we're involved like this, and yet we still know very little about each other." She turned back to face me. "I guess we need to start working on that…" she smiled again, "after this whole mess. But, let's start with the names shall we?" I gave her a surprised look, Ranger had been pretty private about things and I was amazed that she was willing to open up. "Shinzui Hayashi is my real name."

I smiled. "Forest spirit…fitting for you I guess." She looked at me expectedly. I hesitated, all my years in black ops and covert operations had given me instincts that were currently screaming at me to reveal nothing. But this was the woman that I love and I guess this was one time I had to go against my gut. I simply grasped her by the hand and held it. "Step closer." She cocked an eyebrow at me but did so, until we were both standing face to face. I leaned over and whispered in her ear as I held her close. "Cedric Stone."

She pulled back a bit from our embrace. "Hm, not exactly a name that popped up when I look at you." She grinned at me. "But I guess that just makes you more unique." She then wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in the crook of my neck. "I guess we have to keep a low profile right?"

I wrapped an arm around her waist and we both walk out of the mess hall toward our quarters. "For now…but we have to be careful. He will no doubt target us first."

Ranger's eyes blazed; now I could see the part of her that no doubt gave chills to her enemies. "Let him try, where I come from traitors only have one course to look at." I had no doubt I knew what she was talking about, but only time would tell.

* * *

Oh come on guys, what's the deal, I have alot of alerts from people, but no reviews from them. / Reviews make me write more ya know! Even a sentence will do! :D Anyways, I'll be on vacation for a bit so don't expect updates for awhile. Enjoy and review!


	11. Rescue Part 1

Ch.11

**Heavy Duty's POV**  
"I have a really bad feeling about this whole thing…" I mean come on, dark alley way in the middle of the night, who wouldn't have a bad feeling?! "Are you sure you know what you're getting us into?"

Firefly, our current guide leading us down this alleyway, gave his usual confident reply. "Relax Heavy Duty, I got some good info that a Cobra dude wants to defect." He paused in front of a side alley.

"I hope you're right…"

Tunnel Rat didn't sound very confident either. "Me too…"

Firefly suddenly nodded down the alley, where we could see a pair of glowing eyes staring at us. 'There he is."

"HEEEEEY!" I nearly jumped when Tunnel Rat shouted and waved at the figure. "Cobra dude!" That's when the figure promptly retreated further in the shadows and disappeared.

Firefly gave an exasperated sigh as he took off after the guy. I HAD to yell at TR. "TUNNEL RAT! QUIET!!" We were soon doing a mad dash trying to catch up to Firefly.

"Hey, I'm on him. You guys go around back and cut him off." With that Firefly dashed down the alley that the guy had dashed down. We had to no choice but to take the advice.

"Hey, why'd he run away?! All I did was say hello!"

I ground my teeth in frustration. "It's not what you said; it's HOW you said it! And it was really loud!" Suddenly, we heard a familiar voice scream.

"Hey, did you hear that scream?!"

"Yea, it sounded like Firefly!" We both ran as fast as we could toward the source of the sound and suddenly stopped when a familiar shadowy figure emerged right in front of us.

"Hey you! Where's Firefly?!" I demanded an answer, but there was no response.

"Yea! What did you do to him!?" No response again, but this time the figure suddenly threw off his cloak. We both tensed, but then relaxed when we recognized who it was. "Whoa, you scared us there for a sec! But uh…what gives?"

"Yea, now I'm totally confused..." That's when he began to advance toward us.

"Oh now I get it…" Whatever TR was about to say next was violently cut off when his neck was grabbed and he was yanked off his feet.

"HEY! Put him down right now!" TR was tossed to one side in response…and now I was the target! "Whoa! I don't believe my eyes!" I could only give a strangled yell before darkness took me.

**Scarlett's POV**  
"Well, if you ask me Hi-Tech, both you guys have lost your minds." I had to say that after hearing what Duke and Hi-Tech were planning. Apparently, Hi-Tech had invented some fancy new armor that Duke volunteered to test out to work out the bugs. Just the basics of what I knew about the armor made me nervous.

"Relax Scarlett; this new Sigma power suit is my coolest invention yet." Hi-Tech sure sounded confident…

"Oh yea…coolest? Or most dangerous?" That's when Duke decided to cut in.

"Don't you worry, me and Hi-Tech know exactly what we're doing." I watched in the viewscreen as Duke prepared for the test run. "Activating Sigma plasma cannon."

I sighed. "Crossing my fingers…" I had to admit, the suit did look quite impressive…along with that cannon.

"Switching to Sigma target system…"

"That much firepower strapped to one person's butt? I mean…that just doesn't seem right…"

"You just wished you got to test it." Hi-Tech was busy looking over all the readings and then looked to Carlos and Alexis. "Power up the plasma shield firewall on my signal." They gave affirmatives. "Ok, engage!"

"Ok…let's see what we're got." Duke raised the cannon aiming for the rock formation that was serving as the target. "Now powering up to fire, stand by!" I had a really bad feeling about this…"That's it…come on baby, we're locked and loaded!"

Suddenly, Hi-Tech noticed something off on the readings. "Hey…what's that?! Duke, there's seems to be a problem with the firewall!"

I leaned in for a closer look, oh shit, he was right! "Stop the test, NOW!"

"She's right! The plasma shield is breaking down!"

"Too late to stop!" That stubborn idiot!"

"The safety locks are burning out! And the plasma readings just shot off the scale!" Too late, we watched in disbelief as the cannon powered up. "You've got to shut it down! Shut it down NOW!"

"Here's goes nothing…I'M FIRING!" A brilliant flash of green energy flooded our eyes as the cannon went off, sending off a massive beam. It struck the rock formation…which exploded into hundreds of little pieces. Despite the situation, Hi-Tech and I had to say awesome. That is…until we noticed Duke.

"Oh no! The entire suit has gone into overload!" Dammit!

"What?!"



"We've got to get him out of there!" Thanks for stating the obvious!

"Right, I'm on it. Don't worry Hi-Tech, I'll get him out! In the meantime, activate his fire suppression!" I made a mad dash for the deck where we last saw Duke before the energy wave had concealed him. I found him lying flat on his back and not moving. "Duke! Come on Duke, get up!" I clicked the safety that kept his helmet latched on and with a electrical protest, it finally released. I could hear him making sounds of pain as I removed the helmet.

"That…was…that…coolest thing EVER!" He looked up at me with a cocky grin despite the obvious pain. "Scarlett, you've got to try that…as soon as Hi-Tech fixes the suit."

I was struck speechless, but had to give a helpless smile. "Good grief, you cannot be serious." I spoke into the comlink to give Hi-Tech some good news. "One of these days guys, you're going to give me a heart attack! Duke is fine." I could hear Hi-Tech's sigh of relief.

"That's great…but is my suit ok?" Sigh…boys and their toys.

**Hi-Tech's POV (a few hours later)**  
"This doesn't look good…hey Scarlett, come take a look at this." I pointed as Scarlett stood behind me.

"What's going on?"

"Well, it could be an overload in the system…but I just lost contact with everybody." It was true, the status windows of almost all the team showed nothing but static.

"But…how could that be possible?" Scarlett looked extremely worried.

"Well, technically it's not. All their Sigma links have backup sat support and GPS. But…they just all went off like they were…captured!"

Now Scarlett looked dubious. "You're telling me there's not trace of anbody?"

Now, I had to give her the kicker. "Well, I'm still getting a strong tracking signal from both Stone's and Ranger's links." Both their signals were coming in strong from England, on some routine scouting mission both had been assigned.

A furious and suspicious look crossed Scarlett's face. "Stone and Ranger huh…that's weird…"

"Yea very…"

"Guys…let's not lose our cool until we've checked this all out." We both jumped slightly and turned around to see Duke gingerly make his way in and take a seat.

"Yea…but who's left to check." Scarlett waved her hands to emphasize her point.

"Ok, first things first. Let's get both Stone and Ranger a shout and get them on this. "What? He still trusted those two?! But I had no choice but to obey, I quickly sent out a signal and soon the faces of said persons appeared on the main viewscreen. Stone looked relaxed and Ranger had that unreadable expression on her face. "Uplink established."



"Ah, hello Duke old chap." I secretly glared at Stone; he looked way too much in a good mood for this kind of situation. Ranger simply gave a nod in greeting.

"Stone, Ranger, I need the both of you. Most of the Sigma 6 team have just gone offline." Stone's expression changed from good humored to shocked, Ranger's expression tightened.

"What? Duke-san, that is not supposed to be possible." Well, she sounded genuinely concerned…

"You heard right, we need both of you to search. Start with Heavy Duty's team." Ranger nodded as Stone gave a affirmation of his own. Soon, they both shut off their links. I didn't like this, sending both possible traitors to search for the team they possibility could have had a hand in their disappearance?

Scarlett turned to Duke with a puzzled expression. "What kind of mission was Heavy Duty's team on?"

"There's a defector."

Her expression hardened. "Now that sounds like a trap. I'd better go Duke." Duke's expression remained the same neutral way he had worn since getting in here as he considered. "Those two can't go in by themselves, if someone could take out three of us, the more the better in my opinion."

"Ok…just watch your back." When Scarlett left on the Rhino copter, I couldn't help but be worried.

"What if she's walking into a trap."

"Then we've got bigger problems." Duke made to move out of the room, but suddenly he grimaced and nearly fell over before I managed to catch him.

"Whoa! Hey, you took a pretty good jolt out there!"

Duke waved me off impatiently. "I'll be fine, when will you get that power armor fixed?" I could hear the strain in his voice. 'It may be our only hope."

I could only nod. "I'm on it." I watched him limp out of the room before hitting my communicator. "Hey Hound, how are the repairs coming along?" A string of beeps answered me. "Awesome, finish with the shielding interface and get up to the bridge. I need your help to run a final systems check right away." An affirmative beep told me Hound understood. When the both of us were running the scans, things looked good so far. "I hope the plasma shield holds up this time…"

**Scarlett's POV**  
I was deeply troubled. I knew that Stone and Duke were old friends…and both seem generally trusting of Ranger, but did that mean automatically one of them wasn't our traitor? The troubles only started when they joined, along with Firefly…but no, Firefly couldn't be the traitor. Stone's specialty fitted, along with Ranger's. When the met the two of them later, they both seemed to be expecting me. I had to admit, I noticed something off about Ranger. Normally, she would have 

this cynical air to her and the expression to boot, but now, her face seemed oddly blank and indifferent. She said nothing to me, only nodded. We then headed toward the area where Heavy Duty's team was last recorded.

Stone kneeled down and picked up a shard of metal, carefully examining it. "Well, the lads were here alright. And I'm certain it's a trap." He turned to look at me. "Scarlett, its time I let you onto a little secret."

I felt my eyes narrow. "Yea…I bet. Maybe I already know Stone." Ranger turned to face me, this time with an expression of faint alertness.

"Meaning what…" Suddenly, she tensed and had both her swords out in the blink of an eye. Stone also was on edge and back up slightly, hand near one of his pistols.

"Get back!" I whipped out my crossbow and gave the both of them suspicious glances. A loud crash turned my attention forward. To my utter astonishment, I saw Firefly stumbled out before collapsing.

"What?!" I raced forward and to check on him. "Firefly talk to me! Please!" That's when I heard the click of a gun's safety being flicked off and whipped around to see Stone's pistol pointed in our direction. Ranger was just behind him, her daggers in hand ready to be thrown.

"Scarlett, step away from him right now." Stone's voice was a cold calm along with the serious expression on his face.

What was he thinking?! "Hey Stone, lower your weapon! Can't you see he's hurt!" That when I heard Firefly's pained voice cut in. I turned back to see him painfully meeting my gaze.

"Stone is…a traitor…Ranger's…his accomplice."

"Don't listen, he's a Cobra spy." Stone's arm still didn't waver.

"…so…it's true." I turned around and pointed my crossbow right at Stone. Ranger made a move as to throw a dagger, but Stone stopped her with a gesture from his free hand. The two of them exchanged glances, with Stone giving her a tiny shake of his head and her reluctantly relenting. It only added to my fury. I knew those two were involved, they always seem to be found around each other. "We did have a spy aboard…and it's you!" Stone's face didn't changed, when he suddenly shifted his aim and squeezed off a shot. I gasped and the shot went just past me, striking at where Firefly was! But when I turned around, I saw Firefly get a burst of speed and manage to dodge the shot and take refuge behind a dumpster. I turned back and took aim at Stone again. "Drop it Stone! You too Ranger!" Ranger now looked furious, but another gesture from Stone and to my surprise, she sheathed her weapons though looking rather disgruntle about it, but Stone still had his pistol out. I called back to Firefly. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine Scarlett; the defector told us all about what Stone was up too." I knew it.

"He's lying to you! This is all a trap!" I didn't care what Stone had to say, I had the proof right here!



"Yea? A trap for whom Stone?" I took a few steps back. Then I saw the most surprising thing ever, the confident look faded from Stone's face and was now replaced by a pleading look.

"Scarlett…trust me!" I almost wavered…but then I made my decision. I fired and managed to shoot the pistol out of Stone's hand, he gave a pained gasp and he recoiled. Ranger made a move as though to spring, but stopped when I pointed my weapon at her.

"I suspected the both of you all along!" Ranger's face now took on a look of something close to furious pity.

"Then you're an even bigger fool then I thought…and to think Duke-san thinks of you as his second in command." Ranger's voice was ice cold as she glared at me. I only glared back.

That's when I heard footsteps behind me. "Whoa…good move there darling!" I gasped as I suddenly felt Firefly's powerful arms grasp me in a lock and his hand seized my trigger hand. "Here, let's finish them off right now…together." His tone was different now, an arrogant coldness that froze the blood in my veins.

"Stop it…Firefly!" I struggled, but he was simply too strong. Ranger was still eyeing the barrel of my crossbow with apprehension while Stone looked on.

"First…it's Stone…then you…then the lovely Ranger." Ranger's eyes blazed with an emerald icy fire as she glared at Firefly. "Sorry guys."

"I knew I had a bad feeling about you from the start…yaro…." Firefly simply smirked at her.

"I doubted you for a long time…but I needed some proof." Stone's expression was…almost sad.

"You want proof? Then here it is!" To my horror, Firefly opened fire on Stone, who after giving painful cries, succumbed to his wounds. Ranger looked shocked at Stone…then turned to face Firefly with a look I swear made her look almost demonic.

"Kusu o taberu na!" Firefly smirked as he now took aim at her.

"It could have gone differently sweetheart, but you had to choose him in the end." What? What the heck did he mean by that? Then to both our amazement, Ranger suddenly grinned and threw her head back and laughed.

"Oh trust me Firefly, it's far from over. And sides, I wouldn't have gone with you even under pain of death." She gave him a mocking glance and it was the last straw as Firefly gave a growl and opened fire. Ranger took a direct hit to her chest, but her expression didn't chance. Then to both our utter amazement, she was suddenly obscured by a poof of smoke. When it finally cleared, where she had been before was now a little plushie doll made in the image of her. Pinned on the doll was a small note that simply read: "Better luck next time…baka." Then I heard the familiar sounds of the Dragonhawk powering up as I could see said aircraft making a beeline away from our location and presumably back to the Sea Titan. I couldn't believe it, Ranger somehow got away! My celebration was short lived as Firefly gave a furious snarl.



"So, she got away…well then, I guess I'll just settle for you." I felt the painful impact as Firefly slammed my own crossbow into my head and I sank into oblivion.

**Ranger's POV**  
The nerve of that…I inserted every swear word I could think of in my mind as I finally landed the Dragonhawk, and headed to the bridge where Hi-Tech, who was giving me a look I didn't know quite how to describe along with Duke, who wore an expression of relief at my appearance. "Went just as was predicted Duke-san."

Duke's expression tightened. "I knew it; he probably guessed we were onto him."

Hi-Tech's eyes widened. "Wait…FIREFLY IS THE TRAITOR?!" Duke and I gave him our best 'DUH' expressions. "But…but…you…and Stone…you…"

I shook my hair. "All part of Firefly's deception, he knew most of you would suspect the two of us over him…given our fields." I looked back at Duke. "Duke-san, we have to save them." The image of Stone being shot by that bastard was burned into my mind, and I could feel my fists clenching with fury.

"I know Ranger, don't worry, we will."

"Hey guys…all the Sigma links just suddenly came back online!" Hi-Tech was typing furiously at his console. Duke's gaze shifted from me to Hi-Tech.

"Can you triangulate the source?"

"Sure." An area on the map beeped red, indicating the location.

"If that's the place…that means everyone is in the same place." Duke's expression was worried.

"It's obviously a trap, no doubt they wish to take out the Sea Titan if we try to make a direct approach." Damn and a direct approach by the Dragonhawk also wasn't a good idea, Cobra no doubt probably had an army waiting for us and I wasn't THAT great at flying the thing. I was no Stone after all.

"We need to contact General Hawk and get some help, there's no one the three of us can do this alone!" Hi-Tech's little metal friend beeped his agreement. However, just by looking at Duke, I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. There wasn't any time to wait for reinforcements.

"No, there's no time. Feed the coordinates into the power armor." Hi-Tech jumped out of his seat in shock.

"WHAT?! We can't do this!" Carlos and Alexis had spun in their chairs to eye the argument behind them. I stayed tactfully silent.

"There's no other way, Ranger's not proficient enough in piloting the Dragonhawk in a full-scale fight." I'll say, Stone merely taught me the basics in a day.

"But…the power suit's shielding is unstable! It'll take me DAYS to fix it! And we'd be sailing the Sea Titan with half a crew. We're gonna get our butts kicked!"



Duke was silent for a moment. "Maybe not, Cobra will be expecting a ship…or the Dragonhawk." His fist clenched, oh no, don't tell me he was going to say…" I'm going in…alone to get our friends back. This. Just. Got. Personal."

"NO! Duke-san, I can fight dammit!" Duke turned towards me.

"I will head in using the Defiant, creating a diversion that should be enough to let you land the Dragonhawk somewhere safe. Then you can fight." Dear Kami, what was with men and their lone one man schemes?! I knew better then to argue though; he was deadset on the plan.

Hi-Tech seemed to relent…a little. "But Duke, if that shielding fails…you won't be coming back here in one piece. And using the Defiant?! Are you serious?!"

Duke gave a half smile. "Great, now you're just trying to cheer me up." I glared at him, not exactly the best way to break tension. "Just do it." He then looked at me. "Ready Ranger?"

I nodded. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." My lips drew back in a snarl. "I am personally going to cut Firefly a new mouth, right across his damn throat!"

Duke frowned at me. "Don't let your personal feelings get into this Ranger, remember, we don't like using lethal force if it can be avoided." Right, I forgot, this wasn't home…though sometimes I wished it was. The two of us then headed out to make our preparations.

**Duke's POV**  
I made my way to the Defiant's hanger bay. Ranger had already headed toward the Dragonhawk after giving me her confirmation that she understood her orders. She was a good soldier, Stone was right about her.

"Duke prepare for launch!" I never did get over the sight of the massive missile, but I shook that off, there were more important things to be worried about. "We're all ready to go, I've added a passenger container at the top of the missile and the power suit is inside. As the elevator took me up, my mind flashed back to the day before, when Stone, Ranger, and I had had a private meeting.

**Flashback**  
Stone was seating in a chair, arms crossed and a worried expression on his face. Ranger was sitting next to him and had her hands clasped in front of her, boring a hole into the table with her gaze.

"You two know why I've called you here." Stone looked up at me.

"It is rather obvious old friend; this is about the traitor Firefly." Ranger's gaze flicked from Stone to me.

I met her gaze, was Stone so sure that Ranger here was not the traitor herself? Though I had to admit, the suspicion was definitely stronger and pointing at Firefly. Ranger seemed to sense the question behind my expression.



"I am no traitor Duke-san, that has been breed…and literally at times beaten into me, I'd rather cut my own throat open then betray people who have put their trust in me." I was surprised, her tone was quiet and sincere, a definite difference from her usual cynical dry self.

Stone had reached over and clasped one her hands. "I'm sure Duke understands, he trusts me and I trust you." I quirked an eyebrow, somehow, I got the feeling their relationship was beyond professional.

Ranger gave Stone a small smile before her expression turned serious again. "Firefly no doubt knows we suspect him, he's not a fool." Her shoulders slumped. "He'll spring his trap soon."

I nodded. "No doubt, so we need to have a backup plan. I get the feeling he'll spring his trap tomorrow, when he heads out with Heavy Duty and Tunnel Rat for that supposed Cobra defector." I rested my arms on the table. "I'm worried about Scarlett, she's the most suspicious of the two of you and I'm afraid she might do something rash."

Stone nodded."We need a contingency plan then."

"Actually…I think I might have something. "Ranger had a thoughtful look on her face. "I have a technique that I can use when I feel the need too and I believe it should work." The two of us looked at her as she explained the background of the technique. So far, it sounded like a good idea.

"Alright, Ranger, use it when you feel you must. Keep on your toes…the both of you." The both of them nodded. "If Cobra thinks we'll be taken down easy, he's got another thing coming to him."

**Present  
**My reminiscence was interrupted by a final warning from Hi-Tech. "And whatever you do, DON'T USE THE PLASMA CANNON! It's not safe!"

"Sure, after strapping myself to a missile, I'd go and do something crazy like that!" I had to shake my head, poor kid, probably was going to give himself a migraine worrying over all of this. I put myself into position to be armored up.

"Initiation power suit attachment." With firm hisses and thuds, the armor attached itself to me, with the helmet being the last piece. "Hang on, the rides going to get real rough. Disengaging safety locks and preparing launch platform."

Ranger's dry tone cut in. "I really hope you know what you're doing Duke-san. I'd hate to have to bring you back here in pieces…"

"Don't worry about me, just keep the plan in mind."

"Ok, we're locked and loaded launching now!" I could feel the rocket shudder around me as it took off, then I felt the pressure of the inside of the capsule increase and since I was standing, the felt the full force of it. "Duke! How are you doing in there?"

"Well…you COULD have built me a seat!"



"Comfort's the least of your worries buddy. YOU will have to survive reentry!" Oh yeah…"There's no time to test that either…" Ah crap…

"…I KNEW you were insane." Yeah, thanks Ranger for stating the obvious.

**Scarlett's POV  
**I groaned, man I hurt all over. I opened my eyes and had to blink a few times to clear them. I then noted the bars and the fact I was shackled to a wall. Slightly panicked, I looked around and notice Stone in a similar position to my left. He looked like he was still out cold. "Stone…wake up!"

I saw him twitch as he lifted his head then turned his gaze toward me. "I'm ok."

I quickly turned away, I felt so guilty, I was such an idiot!" Sorry…"

"For what?" His flat voice only added to my guilt.

"This is all my fault that we're locked up in here."

"More like its Firefly's fault." I could actually pick up a hint of disdain in Stone's voice and I clenched my teeth. That damn traitor…

"I don't know what I was thinking…I should have brought the both of you back to the Sea Titan…and let Duke decide." I let out a sigh. "I'm so sorry Stone…what can I say, I can't believe Firefly was the spy."

"I can." I looked up in surprise to see Stone looking at me. "Duke and I suspected it for some time, we simply let Ranger in on it. We wanted to set a trap for him…but it would appear he sprung his trap first. I'm grateful for Ranger though, she's a cunning one, and she was the one who came up with her own escape plan." I had to give credit to that, what was that she used to get away? "Now then, chin up Scarlett, no time to get down on yourself. We're still Sigma 6 and we still have a job to do and we can do it…right?" He nodded at me and gave me a confident smile. I only wished I could have shared his confidence…

**Ranger's POV  
**I kept careful pace with the Defiant, still having that nervous gut feeling. If Cobra was truly prepared for us, I didn't know how well Duke would stand up to an entire army. I ground my teeth in frustration. I only wish that the damn abilities of my clan's bloodline had been passed onto me, instead of my being trapped with mediocre skills. The techniques my clan possessed would have easily help me turn the tide of this battle. Just thinking gave me a pang of regret, I always hated how I wasn't allowed to use the clan name for myself…since I had failed them all in their eyes. Of course, I remembered that while doing my normal physical, I had noticed my chakra paths had changed, some opening up when they had been closed. I wonder if that meant…

"I'm cutting the final rocket stage now!" Hi-Tech's voice shattered my trip and made me refocus on what we were doing. "Capsule separation on my mark! Mark!" I could only imagine what was going on up high above me. "Try to stay cool in there, it's gonna get a little hot."



"Yeah, where's the button for the AC?" I shook my head, sometimes I didn't understand my comrades.

"Very funny…" I could see the island we were aiming for…and if my radar read right, there was an entire army of BATS waiting for us. I looked up and could just see the bright orange dot that was the Defiant reentering. Looks like was going to be show time soon. "Ok, we're right on target…all set Duke?"

"Do I have a choice?" I could see the arena like structure in the center of the island…leave it to that Cobra Commander to be dramatic. Duke was pretty well ahead of me and I could see the Defiant's head preparing to land.

"Fire thrusters, prepare for landing! Right…I've done everything I can from here…the rest is going to up to you guys."

I smirked. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Ok then, I guess it's time to crash this party! Looks like they left me a nice parking space too." Kami, that idiot better wait until I get there and not decide to engage those things a-

"Don't' worry, I brought a present." Oh shit, he was going to engage them." I pushed on the afterburners of the Dragonhawk. Dammit Duke! "Ready? Here it comes! SURPRISE!" In the far distance, I could see the tiny green flashes of Duke's weapon.

"Yes!" Hi-Tech sounded excited…"The suit is working! The firewall is holding, but the plasma shield is getting hot…" There was a pause. "Duke chill for a sec and give the suit some time to cool down!"

"I'll ask Cobra." The strain was evident in Duke's voice. "But something tells me they're not going to want to take a break right now." I could hear the sound of charging BATS over the comm. "BRING IT!" There was a loud sound of metal clashing with metal. "How am I doing Hi-Tech?!" I suddenly heard him give a sound of surprise. Shit, come on….I was almost there!

"Stop your attack! The plasma shield firewall is overheating!" Stupid stupid alpha male thought patterns! "Pull back right now!" I could obviously see Duke couldn't do that, the BATS were pouring right on top of him, pinning him in place. "Duke?! DUKE COME IN!" I was right on top of them, but there was no way I was going to survive a jump like that, even as good as I way. I need THAT clan technique.

"The BATS are tearing me apart! I need the plasma cannon! Hi-Tech come in!"

I slapped the autopilot on the Dragonhawk and popped the hood. "No you don't Duke-san, just hang on!" I flicked my mask on and jumped. I had to time this right, else I'd be eating dirt in not a good way. Please let my theory be right. I closed my eyes and concentrated, bring my hands into the appropriate seals, ending with the bird seal.

"Kaze no tsubasas!(1)" At first nothing happened and I honestly thought myself screwed…when suddenly. With a loud woosh, I felt the current of air form behind me and slow my descent somewhat. YES! "GET OFF OF HIM!" With a powerful slash from both my swords, I sent most 

of the BATS flying off of Duke behind slicing them into ribbons. My swords were glowing an angry blue from the amount of chakra I was sending into them.

Duke was getting to his feet and looking at me in stunned surprise. "Since when could you do that?!"

I blinked; actually, I never expected it to work. "Um…I wasn't so sure I could do it." Suddenly I gasped as I felt an extremely painful spasm rock my body. Dammit! Using that technique probably shorted out some of my new chakra paths.

"Ranger?! Hey are you ok?!"

I ground my teeth as it felt like my nerves were on fire. "I'll…be…fine…in a second…just…take…care…of…those…BATS!" I threw my head back as a fresh spasm hit me. Duke looked unsure, but seeing the approaching BATS, he lifted his cannon. Of course, that huge attack I had launched had bought time for Duke's suit to reset itself and he finished off the leftovers by himself. I was just trying to stop the tears of pain leaking from my eyes as I finally felt the pain subside. I felt Duke's hand on my shoulder as he helped me to my feet and I taking deep breaths.

"Hey you ok? You don't look so good."

"Ah well, that's what I get for testing." Note to self, try new techniques back in the safety of the Sea Titan. "Now what?"

Duke frowned under his helmet. "Cobra Commander is no doubt waiting for me in that arena, I'm taking him on by myself. I need you to go and free the others. Meet me here as soon as you can." It was a sound plan…not much choice beyond it. "Good luck Ranger." He then walked toward the entrance of the arena. I winced and made off toward a small side entrance I had spotted. Firefly…it was payback time…

(1) Wings of Wind

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Well, I said I would get it done and I did. Don't mind errors and stuff...I'll fix those later when I DON'T have a terrible stomach ache. 3 Hope you enjoy and stay tuned...don't forget to review!


	12. Rescue Part 2

Ch.12

**Scarlett's POV**  
I had been wallowing somewhat in my own private pool of self pity when I heard footsteps moving toward us. Nervous, I shot a look at Stone who gently hushed me. I shut my eyes, copying Stone as the footsteps stopped in front of our cell.

"So, how's it going my friends? You're all hanging pretty good I see." My blood boiled when I heard the familiar snarky tone of our traitor, but I still resisted showing any sign that I had heard him. "Oh come on…don't be like that, I know you can hear me. Hellooo?" That was the last straw.

"We hear you Firefly." I hoped that the venom in my voice would get some reaction, but he still had smug look on his face, damn him! That's when I noticed something different; he had shaved all the hair off his head.

"So how do I look, like the new do or what?" Why that arrogant son of a…Stone interrupted before I could give the bastard a piece of my mind.

"Went to Destro's barber did you?" Stone's voice was neutral, with a dry edge to it. How he managed to keep his temper under control with this guy was beyond me. Firefly merely laughed.

"The mighty Sigma 6…HA! I can't believe how easy it was…" He grasped the bars and moved closer. "To reel the both of you into my trap…too bad Ranger managed to get away. I guess she was a lot smarter then I gave her credit." He bowed his head slightly and his tone changed to mock sadness. "You know I have to admit, I almost feel bad…"

I snarled. "Give us a break! You were a part of the team! We fought right by your side! Now you're nothing but a traitor!"

"Save your breath Scarlett." Stone looked Firefly dead in the eye. "He's not fit…for Sigma 6."

Firefly actually looked a little stun at the calm composure of Stone, but he recovered. "Wow…now that hurt. Good old Stone. Always trying to keep me down aren't ya...but who's on top now?" Stone remained silent. "How does it feel for you little pet project to show you up? I punked you most of all."

Stone merely smirked, in a cold way. "Is that what you think?"

"Yeah, and I'm just getting started too. "Firefly slowly backed away from our cell. "Once we're done blowing away the Sea Titan, I'll come back for you. See you around soon Stone." He pointed at Stone, but didn't get the reaction he anticipated, heck, it even surprised me, Stone merely gave a light chuckle. "What's so funny?!"

"You don't have the courage to face me." Firefly looked shocked, and then furiously took a step forward.

"Don't push me! You're not in any position to talk Stone!"

I couldn't believe it…he really was a traitor. "You were one of us…"

"No he's not…and he never was…"Stone's voice almost sounded sad.

"Guess I should make it official huh?" He reached up and stripped off the Sigma 6 symbol on his uniform and callously flicked it aside. "Sigma 6 is dead to me, long live Cobra Commander and Cobra!"

I blinked furiously. "I just couldn't believe it…"

"It's not over…there's still some hope…there's still Duke and Ranger." Firefly was twitching now and grinding his teeth. "And maybe our friend here will have a change of heart." Stone's smug tone did it.

"What's the deal with you?! ARE YOU DEAF?!" He grabbed the bars with considerably force, creating a loud echo that almost made me wince. "It is over! I stole your Sigma battle system and crushed your whole team! Now your friend Duke is next…and I plan to have something special for the lovely Ranger…" Stone's face hardened at that last part. "You can stay here and rot for all I care." I could only watch as Firefly walked away and wallow. What were we to do now?

"Well, on the one hand, he made the mistake of letting us know that they stole the Sigma system. And on the other hand, he's managed to overlook my brilliant escape plan." Huh?

"What plan…"I was feeling very down, but the tone of Stone's voice made me look at him.

"I did say…on the other hand." I was about to question him when I noticed his left arm. It trembled in place as Stone's face took on a look of concentration. His hand suddenly clenched as his entire arm glowed. With a shredding noise, the suit covering that arm ripped to reveal a bionic arm! I could only gape as Stone strained against the cuff holding his left arm in place before it finally broke away!

I blinked. "That's a…real nice plan."

Stone gave me an amused look. "It's nothing really my dear, just one of my old battle wounds."

"That's pretty handy for a battle wound…" Stone had freed his other arm and was now working to free one of mine.

"Well, let's just say I've had a little…upgrade." With a grunt he managed to pull off one restraint but suddenly backed off holding his bionic arm. It sparked before giving off a bit of smoke.

"Are you ok Stone?" His back was to me, but he turned and nodded.

"It's alright, just letting off a little steam…so, shall we go?"

I nodded as he pulled off the second restraint and opened the cell door. "Hey Stone…"

"Hmmm?" He was carefully looking down both hallways, but it looked like the coast was clear.

"What the deal with Ranger, it seems that when Firefly made that comment about her, you took it a bit personally." Stone paused for a long moment before looking at me dead in the eye.

"To say the very least, Ranger is…special to me. Now is not the time to ex-." That's when we both heard a commotion off the distance, a lot of shouting and laser fire. "Speaking of which, it would seem that Ranger has just entered the picture. Come on." I said nothing as I followed him, Ranger was special to him?

**Duke's POV**  
I took careful deliberate steps into this giant coliseum that Cobra Commander had built. Hi-Tech had already warned me that communications were likely to be cut off once I was inside; the slimy snake probably had jamming devices set up to cut me off from everyone else. I just hoped Ranger would be able to carry out her side of the plan; she had looked to be in considerable pain before she left. He also warned that the plasma shield system was still completely unstable and didn't know how long it would last for. I could see the Defiant piece that had landed in the arena take off and leave behind the weapons case for me. As I approached, I heard a familiar laugh and instantly went on the alert.

"Duke…" Where the hell was he…"Welcome to the Cobra Coliseum Duke…where the brave come to fight and the Sigmas come to fall!" I finally spotted him, sitting where only an emperor would sit in the ancient times…go figure. "Take a good look, because I'm afraid this place will be the last thing you will ever see…" God, I hated the sound of that bastard's voice. I turned in surprise as I saw the hallway behind me seal itself, I was trapped but nothing I could do about it.

"I've already finished off your BATs Cobra Commander, and if this is a coliseum…then only two gladiators should fight. What do you say, you and me." I knew though that he would never put himself in danger first and could only wonder what he'd throw at me.

"Interesting…but I've got something else in mind; you must win the right to fight me!" I knew it…"You'll have three challenges. "He pointed his staff at me. "Beginning with Overlord Vortex!" The door beneath him suddenly opened, revealing the oversized tank like mech. Its optic glowed as it targeted me. I could only open fire on it, but it didn't even flinch! "Pointless, his armor is impervious to your pathetic weapons."

Dammit, he was right; I had to find a different way to take this guy down. With Vortex bearing down on me, I jumped off backwards and considered my options. "Anymore ideas Duke?" Cobra Commander's laugh wasn't making it any easier. That's when I remembered the particular weapon I was holding had a buzz saw attachment, which I quickly clicked into place. Vortex took aim at me as I took a running charge at it and let loose a laser blast. I managed to dodge by jumping up onto its outstretched arm and with a leap; I slammed the buzz saw right down on his ugly tin can. Angry, he flung me off, right at the weapons case! I quickly discarded the one I was holding and picked up the one with the missile option. When Vortex swung around to take another shot at me, it only saw me taking aim.

"Watch your head!" I fired off a rocket and watched with no small amount of satisfaction when Vortex's head was blown to pieces and the hulking scrap pile slumped over. My celebration was cut short when I heard Cobra Commander's voice again.

"Very good, you survived the first challenge…"

I was getting really tired of this. "Bring on the next one snake face!"

"As you wish! Behind door number two…" He snapped his fingers as another door opened and revealing…

Ah shit…"Great, Overlord Vector!"

**Ranger's POV**  
It was taking me considerable concentration to work through the fact it felt like my entire body was on fire to beat down the guards I was running into. I had no doubt probably burned my chakra system and I was now paying for it. As I kicked the last guard into dreamland, I finally found the place where they had been storing the weapons of my comrades. Now I had a different dilemma, who was I going to carry these things? Then I remembered a simple technique that higher level shinobis learned to carry large amounts of supplies. Of course, it required me to use chakra which meant I was going to be hurting again…but what the hell, I hurt a lot already and what was more pain?

I pulled back the fabric of my glove where hidden slits had been placed there for this purpose. I bit down on my thumb, drawing some blood as I whipped out one of scrolls that had pre-inked summoning circles on it. I carefully placed individual weapons on the circles along with a slash of blood. Wincing, I clapped my hands together and focused, instantly feeling the agony again of feeling chakra flowing through my system. With tiny puffs of smoke, the weapons disappeared, with the kanji lettering matching their description in the circles. I rolled the scroll back up and put it away.

Once again gritting my teeth, I took off down further down the hallway, I was essentially going blind since I had no idea where I was. The comms were down, no doubt due to something Cobra did. Rounding a corner, I was treated suddenly to the sight of a Cobra trooper being thrown out unceremoniously from a room and with a groan, he slumped down unconscious. My interest perked, it had to be some of the Sigmas that had managed to escape. When I heard the voices, my interest turned to immense relief.

"Well Scarlett?" Stone's voice sounded slightly strained, he must have used his bionic arm to escape and he had told me that it took a toll on him.

"Just a sec…ok, we're back in business." I frowned now, Scarlett, I still hadn't forgiven her for jumping the gun. But well, I could settle that later.

"Let's do it then." I grinned and crouched down. As soon as I saw Stone exited the door, I almost pounced, but then my body reminded me of the excruciating pain I was still in. With a gasp, I fell to one knee which instantly took Stone's attention as he whipped toward the sound. His one eye widened as he saw me. "Ranger!" He was at my side in an instant. "Are you alright?"

I flicked my gaze up and winced. "Well, let's just say I've been better." I welcomed the support he offered as he helped me up. Hell, I was practically inwardly dancing with joy to see that he was in one piece.

"Ranger? You don't look so good." I glared at Scarlett who had walked out as well. "Are you sure you're ok?" She must of felt the heat of my glare because she kept a measure distance.

I straightened, despite my muscles protesting. "Not important right now, Duke is righting alone with that bakra yaro outside." I think anyone could have understood that last insult. "And no offense, but I can barely move right now, even willpower has its limits."

Stone looked worried as he held onto me when suddenly he stiffened and looked down a hallway. Scarlett and I looked confused at him, then again, I should have been able to sense people, but the pain was making it rather difficult. "What's wrong Stone?"

"We've been followed…Scarlett, you go on ahead with Ranger. This is my problem." I froze, that meant only one thing…Firefly.

Furious, I jerked my arm from him, and ignored the flare of pain. "No way Stone, I'm not letting you face him alone, he's just as much my problem as he is yours." I was about to say more, but my willpower gave out again and I slouched over grinding my teeth.

Stone's voice was patient as he suddenly reached down and lifted my chin with his hand. Any argument I was ready to give him died when I looked him in the eye and saw the love he had for me expressed. "Ranger, you're in no shape to fight him. Please, just do as I say." Scarlett looked confused as she looked between the both of us, but with some realization dawning on her face.

My resolve crumbled, I knew he was right. I could barely stand as was and Firefly was a tough opponent. "Alright…just make sure you come back to me in one piece or you'll be in your own world of hurt."

Stone's lips curved up into a slight smile as he nodded. "And now I have to seal the deal." Before I could react, Stone had crushed me against him, lips firmly on mine. Despite the pain, I returned his passion equally. Scarlett probably had her jaw on the ground right about now, but I didn't give a damn. We pulled apart as he gently pushed me toward Scarlett. "I promise to finish that when I get back." He gave me a sly wink.

God damn him and his smoothness. My cheeks were probably flushed so I only nodded. "Alright Scarlett, you heard the man." I turned and tossed Stone his pistols, which he caught easily and handed Scarlett her crossbow. I gave one final glance at Stone and said the only thing that could sum up my feelings at the moment. "Aishiteru… (1)" He nodded to let me know he understood.

I dashed off with Scarlett following me after her throwing Stone a shocked glance. I grinned inwardly; I hoped Stone would give that traitorous baka hell.

**Stone's POV**  
I watched as my lover and Scarlett disappeared into the gloom of the hallway. The taste of Ranger lingered on my lips as I turned to face the problem I knew was there and it gave me the strength I needed. "I know you're there, Firefly."

As I expected, Firefly appeared out of the gloom and crossed his arms, his face wearing a furious, but smug look. "What took you so long? It's just you and me…chap."

I smirked, which only seem to infuriate him further. "You knew about my bionics. You deliberately let us escape…so you could finally face me one on one." I held up my hand and beckoned him. "Well lad, here's your big chance then…come on."

He grinned like a predator that had finally cornered his prey. "Such a touching scene with Ranger there, I thought I was going to be sick."

"You could never get over the fact that she chose me over you. She saw you for what you really were, and I guess you just weren't her type lad." I took a fighting stance, one of the few that Ranger had managed to teach me. "She knows the concept of honor Firefly, something that seems to elude you.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" With a furious yell, Firefly charged and I knew the fight was on.

**Duke's POV**  
God dammit! Vector was dodging everything I was throwing at him; looks like he had an upgrade! "You've made him faster; let's see him outrun some missiles!" I ran back a bit and fired a salvo, but Vector just dodged them as easily.

Cobra Commander was laughing, no doubt enjoying seeing me running around like a scuttling beetle. "He's much faster and more powerful then you." Yea, thanks for stating the obvious! Vector suddenly let a blast of energy which I managed to block with the help of the suit, but when my sight cleared, Vector was now right in right of me ready to strike. His tail whipped me into the side of the arena, before one of his claws detached to pin me in place. Time for plan B…Vector's eyes glowed as he charged me again.

I activated the rockets on the back of my suit just in time to dodge the attack, but we were both obscured by a huge cloud of dust. Cobra Commander's sounded exulted, then shocked. "Fabulous…WHAT?!" I was now hovering above Vector and took aim.

"Vector, you've just been grounded!" I fired three missiles and Vector had no time to react before it was turned into a scrap pile just like Vortex before him. I landed and glared at the commander with my sides heaving, that was a tough fight.

Cobra Commander, to his credit, merely clapped. "Bravo…bravo Duke. Now…for the final challenge…behind door number three…Overlord Virus!" I turned as the final door opened, revealing the quad legged mech. I readied myself; I was really getting tired of this!

"Hey…tin can!" Virus's six eyes glowed before he charged out.

**Stone's POV**  
Firefly threw yet another punch, but I blocked with my bionic arm before redirecting it to throw him into a wall. He had always been too aggressive and Ranger's fighting techniques were helping me out in this fight. I charged him as he tried to put his arms up in defense, but with two swift kicks, I drove his back into the wall. I clenched my bionic arm as I felt energy course through it. "You're finished….say good night Firefly!" I threw the punch and saw him wince and close his eyes…only to open them to see that I had deliberately punched the wall next to him instead.

Having gotten his attention…it was now or never. I pulled my fist back and opened it, revealing the Sigma 6 emblem that he had torn off earlier. "There's still hope…we are a team Firefly, and I was your friend. Sigma 6 and I chose you for a reason…don't you see?"

There was a long pause, before Firefly seemed to relent and take my offer to help him up. "I'm extremely touched Stone…and it's true I let you all escape for old times' sake…" Suddenly I saw a change in his demeanor and realized something was wrong. "Thing is…I'm still nothing but a traitor and a Cobra spy, so just where does that leave me?" His face turned triumphant. "Not with you and Sigma 6, my real place is right here with Cobra!" The emblem in his hand was suddenly reduced to ashes as his other hand swung up to snatch up one of his fire sticks and it flared to life, arching for me!

I managed to jump back and block it with my bionic arm. "Please don't do this Firefly…you can't do this!"

"Stone my friend…"he grinned, "It's already a done deal." I prepared myself as he charged me, now I was on the defensive!

**Duke's POV**  
Virus was dodging my attacks almost as easily as Vector had. "This bug is really starting to bug me!" Suddenly, he scuttled right up to me and slashed with his clawed left arm. I managed to jump back, but not before he sliced off parts of my armor. His cannon right arm fired and I wasn't quick enough to dodge that one. I was flung backwards and on my back. "I'd better move it." I fired up the jet packs again, just in time to dodge another blast from Virus. "Oh yeah!" I reached for the weapon I had dropped earlier in the fight.

"Very impressive Duke…"

"You think so? I'm making this up as I go!" Sarcasm is only met with sarcasm in my book. "I gotta buy some time…" That's when I saw the buzz saw weapon I had dropped after I had taken down Vortex. I dashed over and snatched it up as Virus skittered backwards slightly. "How careless of me to leave this lying around!" I took to the air again as Cobra Commander's mocking tone reached my ears again.

"It looks like you're running out of tricks to me my little sigma…"

"I've still got a few more…" I clicked my weapons together as Virus was starting to charge up another attack. This time, I took the offensive as I charged forward, dodging his attack and with my buzz saw, sliced the lower part of his torso. Virus only had time to turn to me before he looked down seeing the damage…and promptly blew up. Thinking I had him, I was hovering above him…but then I saw something. "No way!" Two laser blasts suddenly knocked me out of the air and another two hit me again before I hit the ground. I looked up to see that Virus was hovering in a similar fashion as Vector had. The only weapon I had on me was my pistol, which had little effect on the mech. "Still ticking?!"

"That's right Duke, but your time is up. You're bravery is only exceeded by your stupidity! It's over Duke! Virus, FINISH HIM OFF NOW!"

"Well, guess there's only one thing left to do." I took aim…but not at Virus, but at my weapon under him. "If you're going to go out…why not go out with a bang!" I fired and Virus had no time to react as the explosion of my weapon hit him and demolished him. I dived for cover as that problem was finally removed…and left the only one remaining.

**Scarlett's POV**  
I used the keys I had confiscated off a Cobra trooper to open the door to Heavy Duty's and Tunnel Rat's cell. A she had with my weapon; Ranger used her strange ability to retrieve their weapons for them. I had noticed that each time she did it, it seemed to hurt her a lot, but she seemed to ignore the pain. "Ok, everybody out."

"Thanks Scarlett." Heavy Duty rubbed at his wrists.

"Yea, you really saved our necks. Now that we're all out, what's the plan?" I thought about it for a bit. "You two, take Ranger, find and let the others out of their cells while I look for Stone…and that traitor Firefly." I tossed the keys to Heavy Duty. Ranger gave me a side glance, I noticed she had gotten a lot paler and sweat had collected on her face, the signs of extreme pain.

"Hey, you ok there Ranger, you don't look so good…" Tunnel Rat had evidently noticed it too.

"I'm…fine!" She ground that out between clenched teeth. "And you're not looking for Stone by yourself, I have to help too!"

"You can barely walk Ranger and you look ready to collapse at any minute!" Ranger's eyes glazed, she was clearly on her last legs, but she was a fighter. She looked ready to protest before I cut her off. "Do you think Stone would want you to go help him and only get yourself seriously hurt in the process?!"

"…" Ranger seemed to contemplate me for a moment and I felt a flash of the guilt I had felt when I found out she had never been a traitor. "…you're right, fine. You'd better find Stone in one piece or I'm holding you partially responsible if he isn't!" Her tone took me back to when the two had embraced just a few minutes before and it all finally clicked into place. All the times I had seen them together…and I had come to the wrong conclusion.

"Don't worry Ranger, I will." Heavy Duty and Tunnel Rat were giving us funny looks, but chose not to comment. "Now, you three have a mission, so go do it."

"No worries Scarlett just leave it to me." Ranger seemed to ignore Heavy Duty slight chose of words as she took another deep breath. The three ran off with Tunnel Rat giving off one of his usual protests.

"You?! You mean us!" I turned and ran back the way I came, hoping that Stone hadn't gotten himself into trouble he couldn't get himself out of.

**Duke's POV**  
I managed to dig myself out of the pile of rubble I was trapped under as I retrieved the only piece of my weapon still intact, the handle for the plasma cannon. I gave a quick look to my diagnostics panel, dammit; the plasma shield was failing again! If I was going to do anything, I'd better do it now!

The seriously annoying laughter brought my back to reality. "What's wrong Duke? Having some problems with your gear?" He sounded smug, what the hell was he instigating. "Do you know why your Sigma systems keep on failing?"

"The virus…the one that Firefly put in our system!" I had thought Hi-Tech had managed to purge it…apparently not all of it.

"Yes…and it's still in your system! And when you face me, it will be my little advantage." Why that cheating son of a…"Heheh, yes, let the final challenge begin!" He then jumped down to the arena floor, now sporting a shield along with his staff. "This will be your last battle Duke and my ultimate victory! Sigma 6 has failed, just as the GI Joes have failed! No one can stop Cobra now!" He let out another burst of laughter before he suddenly blurred to one side! What the?!

"Think so?" My targeting system was trying to track him…but he was moving fast and unpredictably. When I finally did get a lock, I fired, but he blocked with his shield.

"Nice shot Duke…"

"I'm surprised you had the guts to face my commander."

"You're gear is failing Duke, it's only a matter of time before you're done!"

"Yea? Come on!" Energy blades suddenly formed around the edge of the commander's shield as he blurred right at me again, blocking all my shots. I could only barely dodge as he suddenly threw his shield at me. I ducked as it flew over head and took advantage of its absence to launch my own offensive. To his credit, he matched me, fist for fist.

"You should watch your back Duke…" Dammit, I had forgotten about the shield! I just managed to duck as it narrowly missed my head and reattached itself to his arm. He charged and gave a vicious kick to my torso, before throwing a punch throwing me back. A blast of energy came from his staff to knock me even further back. I looked up only to see another flash of crimson heading for me…

**Stone's POV**  
I dodged Firefly's attack as it blew out the wall behind me. Taking advantage of the smoke created, I ducked into the room. By the looks of it, it was a supply room for Cobra, next time I would use the door. Hearing Firefly's approach, I quickly took cover behind some large crates.

"Where are you Stone?! I'm not really in the mood to play hide 'n' go seek!" He sounded frustrated, good. "Oh come on old chap," his mockery of my accent did little to even affect me"…what do you say we heat things up a little?" I heard him slide his mask into place. "And let's see how well you do…under fire." He advanced. "Ready or not…here I come!" I let a blast narrowly miss his head as he charged.

"I'm ready!" I saw him find my hiding spot before I dashed to a new one.

"Haha, gotcha on the run." As he tried to approach that one, I deterred him with a near hit to his face. "Whoa!" I ducked back again as I heard him grinding his teeth with frustration. "Hey Stone…you're fired!" I realized almost too late what he was going to do as the room suddenly flared orange with the flames of his fire sticks. Willing myself to run faster, I just barely made it out of the room, but my pistols flew out of my reach down the hallway I had run into.

This was not looking good. "Looks like you've got me lad…" I blocked his one fire stick with my bionic, but I could feel the arm beginning to weaken.

"And your bionics are failing, it's over." No…I couldn't, not after promising Ranger. "Time to fry…" He raised his second stick to do the coup de grace, before a green bolt suddenly shot it right out of his hand. We both turned with surprise to see Scarlett, crossbow leveled and clearly aiming at Firefly.

"Firefly…just back off right now!" Firefly seemed to assess the situation before he lifted his mask and gave me a mocking smile.

"Well, it's been real, but I've gotta run. See ya!" Before any of us could react, he had snatched up his fire stick and dashed out of sight. I watched him go, not taking any action to stop him.

"Um…Stone…why'd you let him go?" Scarlett sounded incredulous as she approached.

"He may come in handy…one never knows." I got to my feet flexing my bionic arm. I would have to get Hi-Tech to take a look at it. "Ranger is she…"

"She's fine…you're…uh…girlfriend is one heck of a fighter." Scarlett looked at me. "That's what she is to you isn't she."

I gave a slight smile. "If that's what you want to use, I think for me and her, it goes a bit beyond that." Then I remembered that Duke was probably still facing Cobra Commander by himself. "Come on Scarlett, we've still got a job to do." She only gave a nod in return.

**Duke's POV**  
Things were not looking good, Cobra Commander was knocking me around like a soccer ball and I could barely fight back.

"What's wrong Duke? Feeling a little down?" I seriously would give anything to get him to shut the hell up! I fired, but he merely blocked with his shield again. "This is too easy! Is that all you've got?"

I had no choice now. "Well, looks like this is it. This is either going to turn out really good or turn out really ugly!" I charged away from him, toward the barrel of my plasma rifle, snatch it up; I connected to the handle I was holding and flicked open the panel on my wrist. According to the display, the shield was still unstable. "Well, this doesn't look good. This is probably gonna hurt me as much as it's going to hurt you!" The cannon assembled itself and soon as ready to be used as I took aim at the commander.

"So…this is the plasma weapon you used to defeat my BATs. Well, it won't defeat me Duke." He sounded almost confident.

"If Hi-Tech is right, then it will. Even your Cobra shield won't stop this thing!" The cannon began to charge up as a brilliant emerald green ball began forming at the end of the barrel.

"If it doesn't overload and destroy you first!" His mocking voice only strengthened my resolve; I was taking this guy down no matter the cost!

"I'll take that chance…right now!" I hit the trigger and once again felt the recoil of the weapon as it went off. I could just barely see Cobra Commander put up his shield in defense…and it held!

"Hahaha! You're weapon system is overloading!"

"Yea? Well so is your shield curtain face! I got one more surprise for you!"

"Really? You're almost out of time Duke." With all his mocking, he didn't even bother to look up until it was too late. What he saw was the upper tip of the Defiant that had brought me here, bearing down right on him! "WHAT?!"

I could barely hold on as the weapon finally shoved me back, to the resounding shocked cry of Cobra Commander as the Defiant head slammed down on him and the resulting explosion blinded him completely. When the dust finally cleared, I found myself on my knees and Cobra Commander…still standing and pointing his staff at me.

"How the mighty have fallen…" I could hear his weapon charging up but there was nothing I could do, the shock of the explosion was still affecting me. "Good bye…Duke!" Suddenly, we both heard the slam of the arena doors and I knew it had to be my team. "What?!" I looked sideways to see everyone standing at the entrance, but when I turned back, Cobra Commander was gone. The coward had fled once the tables had turned.

"There he is!" I heard Tunnel Rat shout as everyone swarmed around me, the noticeable exception was an extremely pale Ranger being supported by Stone. "He's ok!"

I managed to yank off my shattered helmet and get to my feet. "How'd you guys get here?!"

"It's all thanks to Stone; he broke us out of jail." Scarlett looked thankful. I looked to my old friend who gave me a wink. Typical, him showing off again.

"Nice work…but I came here to rescue all of you!"

"Looks like WE beat you to it Duke!" Jinx sounded smug.

Aaaaaah man! "So I kinda got my butt kicked for nothing? Thanks a lot!" Everyone burst out laughing, minus Ranger who looked like she could barely breathe.

Scarlett suddenly stopped and approached Stone and Ranger. I was curious, what she was up to? "Stone…Ranger…I owe both you guys an apology…I think the whole team does." Everyone looked sheepish, minus Snake-Eyes, and they all nodded their agreement.

Stone merely smiled slightly. "I think you've all made up for it…and I'm sure Ranger feels the same." Judging from the glare she was throwing Scarlett, I doubt she really did. They would have to work that out by themselves…

"Now just a second!" Tunnel Rat was pointing a finger to Stone. "What's the deal with you and Ranger anyway?! I mean, you guys were always together, how could we think you weren't in on something together?!"

Stone eyed him for a moment, before throwing his head back and laughing. He laughed so hard that he doubled over and even Ranger looked highly amused. After he had composed himself somewhat, he looked at everyone. "You mean none of you could think of any reason for us?" 

Almost everyone shook their head, but Scarlett, Snake-Eyes, and even I had finally put the pieces together. Stone chuckled. "I guess an example would better explain, wouldn't it my dear?"

Ranger looked up at him through her obvious discomfort and grinned slyly. "I think so too, sides, I'm hurting and I think you can help with that." Without another hesitation, Stone had swept Ranger up into a passionate embrace, his lips capturing hers. I grinned like a madman as I heard almost everyone give out cries of surprise and shock at the revelation.

The two lovebirds ignored all the commotion around them, only focused on each other. To heck with it, it took someone like Ranger to ever match someone like Stone. After a good minute, the two finally parted and gave smug grins to everyone.

Heavy Duty looked floored. "Wait…you…him…you guys…NO WAY!"

Ranger quirked an eyebrow at him. "Yes way…can we go home now?" She, Stone, I, and Scarlett burst into chuckles as everyone was still reeling from the shock.

Yeah, heading back to the Titan sounded good right about now…and Cobra would be licking their wounds for awhile before they would strike again. "Great job guys now let's pack it up and go home!" Cheers met my announcement as we waited for the Sea Titan to send over a pick up.

**Ranger's POV**  
The medics had been worried about me, even Stone, who had sat with me through my examination, despite the protests of the medical staff. One glare from me had been enough to shut them up. "Stone, just tell them I only need some rest for Kami's sake!" With a little persuasion on his side, they had reluctantly agreed to let me go.

As of the moment, I was in Stone's quarters, the both of us cuddled up on his bed. He had one arm protectively curled over me while his left arm, freshly covered with the artificial flesh again, cradled under me. I only craved his presence as I was really hurting so that was all could do for now. I had explained to him why I was in such pain and he had pondered over it.

"Interesting…so, your handicap was having an underdeveloped…chakra system?" I nodded as I gently ran my hand along his right arm, feeling the muscles. I was still always surprised at the sight of the many scars that traced his body…and not all of them looked like they had been received in a fair battle. He would have to tell me later about them.

"Yeah…it caused me some other problems…but that's for later." I looked up at him. "Stone…I was really worried about you."

He held me closer as his lips pressed gently against my forehead. "When I make a promise Shinzui, I rarely break it." He looked at me and I could see the care he had for me clearly shining in his gaze. "I love you, and that is all the motivation I need to make any promise to you." Surprised he was using my real name already I was deeply touched. When I first arrived to this strange place, I was fully prepared to feel like an outsider, never understanding my new surroundings. For me to be in this situation instead…it went beyond anything I had ever hoped for. As I turned and placed my back against Stone to be in a better position, I simply enjoyed the feel of Stone as he wrapped his arms protectively around me. As sleep crept up on both of us, the thought of Firefly and Cobra flashed through my mind, I may have considered Firefly my friend, 

but he was that no longer. I was fully prepared to take him down for every transgression he had done against us. As an old saying said…an eye for an eye. Tomorrow was another day, and we would be ready for it.

(1) I love you

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Yea! The last chapter! :D I hope to write more little side adventure...stuff when I feel motivated enough to do so. - I hope you enjoyed this read as much as I had fun writing it! Don't forget to review! Cookies for everyone! :D


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